Wind Knoll's Curse
by Oreana Galena
Summary: All hell breaks lose in a secluded town when people continue worshipping demons from Hell…[JinXOC]
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Notes_**: Can we say influenced heavily by Silent Hill? Anyone? Anyone? Well, yes, it is. I was trying to sleep up in the attic at my lake house but the combined snoring power of my sister and dad kinda made me stay awake and so my mind wandered into Silent Hill territory and I started thinking about a few things and thought "hey, why don't I write about shit that scares me"?

And so I shall.

**BE WARNED right now people**—this isn't your fluffy, rainbows and heartbreak story here even if it involves a slight bit of romance and even sex—this is going to develop into much more than that. It's got angst, bloody, and disturbing scenes later on in the chapters above all else, so please be aware of that! I won't have people going "Geez Laweez, woman, you've got a sick mind" because, yes, this is probably going to be sick and disturbing to some who don't like Silent Hill or horror stuff in that nature. But I don't know—maybe I am over exaggerating and you people can handle it. Just please be warned of the content. X3X;

**Italics will be the main chick speaking first person and everything else is just third person/omniscient.**

**_Reviews_**: I accept reviews and criticisms but **PLEASE**, if your criticisms are coming from 'oh wow, this sucks but I'll help them improve by telling them how wrong **EVERYTHING** is and not showing them what good they did' then don't review. I really don't need it because keep in mind that I am **not** writing for you and trying to keep you happy—I am writing to keep **me** happy. If you like it, awesome! If you find a spelling/grammar or plot error, feel free to point it out! Just please don't tell me everything sucks or needs reworking and we'll get along well.

**_Description_**: All hell breaks lose in a secluded town when people continue worshipping demons from Hell… (**NC-17 but will be edited here due to content**) (**JinXOC**)

**_Disclaimers_**: Yu Yu Hakusho's characters were created by Yoshihiro Togashi and **NOT ME**! However, any unknown major and minor characters and any other creations **they** spawn (as in giving birth) are copywrite to me and I would love for it to stay that way as well as any places mentioned.

**_Musical Inspiration_**: "Aquarius" – Within Temptation

"Memories" – Within Temptation

"It's the Fear" – Within Temptation

"Forsaken" – Within Temptation

"Room of Angels" – I am unaware. (Silent Hill 4 OST)

"Somewhere" – Within Temptation

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_Wind Knoll…I remembered it before it was nothing but a ghost town and filled with heartless creatures and wandering souls left to walk the cracked roads that you can barely see now thanks to the heavy fog, endless nights and dead foliage. It was a beautiful place regardless of me having to view it all from the confines of my own house I was trapped within thanks to that worthless man who dared to call himself my father. It stretched for miles in what seemed the middle of nowhere to anyone who came upon it. Hidden far from any main road, it was as if the heavy fog that came every morning and night wanted to conceal it from those who wandered close to the trail that was placed further in the cloudy, thick woodland._

_It all started with them, the very demons people mistook for holy beings regardless of how many times they were corrected by the creatures themselves. Temples in different sections of the town were erected in their honor when they graced our presents from the very depths of Hell years ago. Everyone worshipped who they saw fit but there were at least five temples within the vast estate of Wind Knoll seeing as the people prayed to the five demons:_

_Yoko Kurama, the demon of Earth…_

_Hiei, the demon of Fire…_

_Touya, the demon of Ice…_

_Jin, the demon of Wind…_

_And Shishiwakamaru, the dreaded demon of Death…_

_Some people prayed to them, others didn't and believed it to be devil worship the further the years progressed from when Wind Knoll was first built as well as these beliefs. But the demons weren't satanic as most people believed, but then again, how could you believe in something that was placed into words eons ago?_

**Wind Knoll Four Years Ago…**

The sun rose steadily beyond the mountains that towered ever so closely to the town known as Wind Knoll that was now shrouded in fog thanks to the heavy mist that covered the area seeing as it was built right in the middle of the miles of woods known ever so appropriately as the Misty Woodlands. People had been known to get lost venturing out of Wind Knoll's safe boundaries thanks to the thickness of the fog. The thick vapor itself was known as the Fog of No Return seeing as it gathered just outside of the town as if ready to ensnare any soul that came too close. An odd blowing of wind within the town's boundaries was known to keep it at bay or at least lessen how much snuck in at night and that was where the myth of the Wind 'God' came into play as well as the name of the town itself.

The loud clanging of the bell that rested within a large tower in the center of the town early that morning roused the villagers from their nightly slumber, prompting store owners to make their way out of their houses at eight that dawn to get things set up for customers as employees got ready for work. Lights came on in houses as windows were opened to let in the nice cool breeze that warm spring day. Steadily the town was waking as the once silent streets began to come to life once more for the day.

Mrs. Jameson locked the door to her house that morning thirty minutes after the ringing of the bell as she headed to her grocery store she owned in her black high heels. As her heels clicked against the pavement on the sidewalk, she couldn't help but notice that some of the roads and nearby houses were awfully hard to see thanks to the fog that was supposed to have been lifted at least a little bit thanks to the wind that blew through the boundaries of the large civic. "Well, that's odd," she couldn't help but voice to herself as the wind passed through her wavy brunette hair tranquilly. "I would have thought that the wind would have fixed most of the fog by now."

The traffic light changed, allowing Mrs. Jameson to quickly trot across the crosswalk so she could get down Olds Burrow Road where her grocery store was located upon that street. Feeling a bit unnerved, she kept her russet leather purse close to her side as she hurried to her store with a furious clicking of her heels upon the pavement. The dense fog always put her on edge and feeling trapped within it didn't help her affections towards it when she was supposed to feel safe within her town. Spying the outline of her store just up ahead past a beauty salon, the rattled woman came to a quick halt to work on opening the front door with her keys she fumbled around with in her shaky hands.

"Come on, come on," she insisted quietly as she continued to mess up with inserting the key properly into the front door. Looking over her shoulder as if she was being chased by a murderer, she finally managed to open the front door and close it behind her quickly with a panicked expression upon her features.

Hearing the chime of the small bell situated just above the door that signaled a customer entering the store, one of the managers that had made it there to set things up before Mrs. Jameson arrived looked over the shelf to spy the owner there looking quite apprehensive. "Mrs. Jameson," Lillian began as she descended the ladder she was upon, "what ever is the matter? You act like the God of Death was coming to get you."

Placing her hand over her beating heart at being startled secondly by Lillian Hutchins, a young girl who was trying to make a decent wage while attending college, Mrs. Jameson tossed her keys upon the nearest counter with a shake of her wavy hair. "He might as well have been…! Lillian, did you notice the fog on your way in today?"

The deep brown eyes of the young female looked past her boss out the window that rested just beyond her with a nod. "It was rather thick out, wasn't it?" Pulling her stringy black hair back in a ponytail, Lillian grabbed onto her red working apron that held her nametag upon it. "What do you suppose is wrong? This is the worst it has ever been in years."

"I am not certain," Mrs. Jameson answered as she rested her head in her hand as if to recollect herself. "Do you suppose to the Wind God is furious lately? Normally it's his wind that takes care of it during the night before the sun rises."

Lillian went quiet for a moment as she offered an uncertain shrug. "I don't know. What would he be furious about lately?"

Mrs. Jameson didn't wish to dwell upon it too much. She knew if she even offered that suggestion to worshippers of the God's power, hell would ensue about Wind Knoll and the Gods could only say what would happen next. Rubbing her forehead with her finger tips, she tried to offer a smile to her employee. "I guess it's best not to worry about it. It'll lighten up later on in the day, I am sure of it."

The young Lillian merely nodded in return in hopes of her boss being right. She herself didn't take too kindly to the thick fog and felt trapped within the town as well whenever she was within it. Fixing her apron a bit on her shoulders, she slapped her hands down at her sides. "Well, I guess we better get to work, right?"

The fog continued on about the early morning hours until the wind finally managed to push it out of the town upon the twelfth hour that afternoon. By then all of Wind Knoll was bustling with life and energy. Everyone was out to attend work or to attend school while some kids were out at the park near the Earth Temple to enjoy their time out in the sun. As others had already begun their day that early afternoon, a young woman in a rather off-putting house on Lavender Lane was just awakening from her long slumber.

Her off-white curtains that covered her slightly cracked window blew about thanks to the wind making its way inside of her room that looked just like any other female's room of twenty-four years old. The young worn, unemployed college student had lived in that decrepit looking house since she was born though it didn't always look as awful as it was on the outside and as messy as it was on the inside. When her mother passed away when she was sixteen, her father let everything about the house go to shambles as he did with his own self.

Feeling the caressing of the wind her town was known for, she flinched slightly with a miserable sounding moan as her greenish, gray eyes blinked to life. Her sight focusing from the nightly sleep, she managed to gather the bright red numbers there upon her clock that was situated on her wooden nightstand. Inhaling sharply in surprise, she tried to force her weak body to at least rise off of the stiff mattress she slept upon every night.

"Dammit, Scarlet," the woman hissed noticing that it was nearing 2:30 in the afternoon, "you've done it again. That's the third time you've missed your morning classes." There was no sense in going to her college classes now even if the last one didn't end until 3:30 besides, Scarlet couldn't find the energy to do so at that very moment to walk to class.

Scarlet pushed herself up off of the queen sized bed that had white comforters with designs of flowers upon them which was starting to turn a dingy brown thanks to neglect of being taken care of. Kicking off her covers, she situated her feet over the side of the bed as if to gather her strength there where she was sitting. Being she went under when her best friend in the entire world, her mother, died when she turned sixteen, Scarlet stopped eating well and slept most of her life away in her bedroom. It was the only place she really felt secure especially from her abusive father.

_He really was a worthless man. My mother stood up for him when she was on her death bed saying that he didn't mean to do the things he did or say the things he said, but I felt he could have at least gotten help for it. I don't know why he even married my mother to begin with, really. My mother worshipped the 'God of Ice' and my father didn't believe in all of the 'devil worship' as he called it. I don't know what to believe when it dealt with Wind Knoll's practices…when my mother died, it was hard to believe in anything anymore…_

Scarlet's hand rested upon the dull doorknob of her small bathroom to allow herself inside to at least get washed up. Opening up the medicine cabinet that held some of her makeup she hadn't worn in years as well as prescription drugs, Scarlet shifted through the bottles and containers to finally find her hair tie that she had put within there before going to bed the night before. Running her fingers through her stringy, broken dusty blond and black streaked hair she managed to tie it back in a bun so it wouldn't get in her way when washing her face at the sink. Turning the squeaky handle to start the water from the faucet, she cupped her hands under the running water to bring it up to her weary face in attempts to further wake her body up for the rest of the day that was lined out before her.

The slamming of the front door made Scarlet jump as she worked away at her face. Turning her attention to the closed bathroom door, she could only groan slightly knowing it was her father coming back from the grocery store. "He's going to kill me," she muttered, grabbing the towel off of the towel rack to dab her face dry after she turned the water off.

After managing to collect herself Scarlet headed down the stairs that led to the kitchen and living room where she could mostly find her father. Embracing her weak frame, her dull looking colored eyes spied him situating the groceries for the time being. It was amazing at times that they could even afford groceries since her father was retired and the incoming of money wasn't all that great. He was grumbling and sighing irritably to show that he wasn't in the best of moods, making Scarlet nervous but there was no point in avoiding him any longer for it was impossible to do so.

Making herself known from just around the corner where the stairs rested, Scarlet tried to be optimistic about her father's attitude, "Do you need help with putting stuff up, dad?"

Hearing his daughter behind him, Chris Baker, slammed down one of the cans he held in his hand to show how displeased he was in hearing Scarlet speak behind him. "Just what in the hell are you doing home? You are supposed to be at class!"

His anger filled tone made Scarlet flinch as she fidgeted a bit with the rim of her pajama shirt. "I got up later than expected," Scarlet answered almost in a whisper.

"You always are doing that and you're never on time for anything!" Chris continued to scold his daughter as he turned around to face her with his large palms resting upon the countertop. His eyes that seemed soulless at that time glared at Scarlet for her behavior though he himself knew that the reason she was so weak and 'lazy' was due to her horrible diet. "If you're not going to go to college, you could at least get your lazy ass out of the bed and apply for a job."

"I would do either just to get out of here if you didn't keep me here under your thumb whenever I tried!" Scarlet finally exploded with a brief wave of her arms. She couldn't take living in that house any longer with all the sour memories that consumed her being when she woke. But being exhausted every time she went to sleep at odd hours hindered her ability to get up when most people did.

Chris wasn't above taking this from his daughter as he quickly jogged over to the other side to grab tightly onto Scarlet's wrist. "Don't take that tone with me!" He growled within the depths of his throat. "Now you either start attending your classes again or you get your ass out there and find a job!"

Scarlet struggled against her father best she could with a glare in return to him even if pain was attacking her wrist he was holding onto. "Dad, you're hurting me! Let me go!"

The rather intimidating man in stature didn't care as he tossed Scarlet off to the side like she was nothing but a rag doll. "I don't care! Now either get your damn life together or I am going to kick you out of this house!"

Her palms catching her fall to the wooden floor along with her right side, Scarlet took in her breath before scrambling to her feet to hurry back upstairs from whence she came only to depart to her mother's bedroom that was the closest thing she could manage to get to once she quickly ascended the staircase. The door closing behind her, Scarlet took in her breath steadily at having to be confronted by her father in such a manner as she fought back the tears she refused to shed for him. Massaging her face for a moment or two, her feet guided her steadily forward in her mother's old bedroom that was probably the only piece of paradise to her in her entire house.

Some of the picture frames littered throughout the room as well as statues and personal belongings collected a bit of dust as well as cobwebs thanks to neglect seeing as it was rare for Scarlet to ever venture within it without being reminded of the person she lost and missed. Her father never did himself and it made Scarlet come to the conclusion that maybe he never really did love her mother at times. Her delicate fingers rolling across the mattress that hadn't been messed with since the day her mother passed away, she sighed heavily through her nostrils before planting herself upon the bed's side to look at the picture that was there in clear view on the nightstand.

Her fingers gripped onto the golden picture frame so as to bring the image closer to her sight. It had her holding onto her mother, Cynthia, in front of the Ice Temple her mother always worshipped and prayed at especially before she fell too ill to get out of bed. It held happier times even if Scarlet and her mother at the time knew of the illness that had infected her mother's body. Her mother had long, slightly frizzy, braided strawberry blond hair with bright blue eyes. She was always optimistic about everything, even her illness, but in the end when she gave up, she could only be happy in knowing she would at least be with the God she worshipped and wanted to take her. Since it was becoming hard to look at her mother there in that still moment, Scarlet placed the picture frame back on the nightstand before spying the statue there next to it and close to the lamp.

The statue was a silver statue Cynthia bought at a nearby store that was crafted of the Ice God known as Touya. It had the believed God with his right hand erected straight upright with the other down at his side as his head was turned slightly to the left. He wore robes in this crafted statue as ice lined about the base with his hair that was tied back rested just below his buttocks as his four bangs remained poised over the left side of his head almost covering that narrow eye. Scarlet knew that her mother adored that statue and it had been through everything in the world seeing as Cynthia refused to release it. Scarlet kept it within her hand, trying not to break it with the death grip she put upon it.

"Why?" She asked softly with a shake of her head, "Why didn't you save my mother?" Scarlet felt pretty silly at speaking to nothing but a statue as she just put it right back on the nightstand where she found it. Strands of her tied back hair couldn't help but escape the bun she made to keep her hair out of her face as she sat there thinking on what to do that day. She didn't want to remain in the house afraid of her father but there was nothing really to do there in Wind Knoll. In the end, finding it pointless to remain there in her own home with nothing to do, Scarlet pushed herself off of her mother's bed to go to her bedroom and get ready to go out away from her angered father.

Opening the door to her mother's bedroom cautiously, Scarlet peeked outside just to make sure that her father was still downstairs either watching the television or still messing with the groceries. The area being clear, she quickly made her way across the hall to where her bedroom was resting just opposite her mother's. Her hands grabbed onto her doorknob as she opened the door to her bedroom slowly so as not to alert her father downstairs at what she was doing. She wanted to get out of that house from under his horrible care even if for a little while. Closing the door behind her, Scarlet headed to her closet to look through some of her clothing that she could wear out on the streets of Wind Knoll.

--

An hour or so later, Scarlet emerged from her bedroom once again just as cautiously as she did before going inside. With no sign of her father upstairs where she was hiding, she quietly tip-toed down the stairs that managed to creak every once and awhile, making her fear that she would alert her father if she wasn't careful. She could hear the commotion of the television just down the hall where the living room was located. Scarlet took this as her cue and only chance to get out without worrying about another confrontation by her father. Her sandaled feet quietly tapped against the wooden boards beneath her though the roar of the television canceled them out as well as the opening closing of the front door.

Scarlet did nothing but let her feet guide her as she stayed locked in thought about many things going on lately. She was twenty-four and soon to be twenty-five in May, that coming month but she was still trapped there in the house that made her miserable. But she feared what her leaving would cause her father to do. While he showed he wanted her to get out there and be her own person in his own forceful ways, he also wanted to keep her there under his thumb and not let her grow up. Why he acted that way always baffled her because he showed he hated her by raising his fist to her especially when he had one too many beers. She had made it a habit to hide those bruises and cuts he inflicted as well as herself with the makeup she had seeing as there were some days it was way too hot to wear baggy clothing that could cover her every bit of abused skin. Scarlet also sometimes wore elbow length gloves to hide them when they were brand new and had to be bandaged up. She cared not about her looks seeing as there was nobody around she felt the need to dress up for.

Sniffling back her sinuses as she continued on her walk down Willard Drive that led towards the forested area and then to the mountains, Scarlet stopped for a moment to gaze up at the land that still belonged to Wind Knoll. The boundaries of Wind Knoll stretched for miles it seemed and up within those mountains even rested houses and stores filled with different things. It was at the base of the mountains that the Wind Temple resided since the wind always seemed to blow from that direction and it seemed fit to erect the temple there. She had never been to that temple or the one in the wooded area just resting a few feet away where the Earth Temple resided. Scarlet always preferred to look at the woods from afar seeing as she feared being swallowed up by the fog that sometimes lingered about the country side of Wind Knoll.

_My mother and I lived in those woods for some time and the fog that gathered at night and lingered in the early morning always enthralled me at a young age. I loved every bit of it until I nearly died, getting lost in it while playing with my toys just out back. I was so scared that day…the fog covered me and I thought for sure I would die there as I cried and cried for my mother. My mother said she was frantic to find me and if it hadn't been for the winter wind picking up and blowing about the fog to lighten the thickness of it, she might never have. She believed it to be the work of Touya, the Ice 'God' even if I believe it was the wind that did most of the work and we all know Jin the Wind 'God' controls that element._

_I was too young to understand then so I didn't exactly deter from the beliefs my mother put upon me dealing with the ice demon referred to her and others as a god. From that moment, I was scared to venture far from my house, but I guess at times I miss that place from where I was placed in that hellhole with my step-father. I am glad to say he wasn't my birth father…my birth father died when I was only a day or so old. I was never told what from. My mother merely said he served the gods now as he had when he was alive. It pained her to say it every time I questioned her about it so I could only wonder what was so heartbreaking about his death._

Scarlet continued to stare out at the wooded area ahead that was still protected just about from the Misty Woodlands and was secluded within Wind Knoll's boundaries. As she continued to do so as if to debate whether or not to continue onward, a worker at a magic store nearby was coming back from her break to attend to the store only to spy Scarlet not too far away.

The young woman had long black hair that was tied back in a ponytail as she wore a bit of heavy makeup dealing with her face. Her attire was dressy but all in different shades of crimson color except for her boots that were black and could be seen peeking out from underneath her dress. Seeing that the girl nearby wasn't moving from where she was standing, she couldn't help but chuckle as she reopened the store she was away from for thirty minutes. "Hey," the worker girl called from the store called Black Magic.

Scarlet didn't move from where she was standing, figuring that whoever was speaking was calling to someone else.

"Hey," she called again as she finally got the store opened again for the day, "You with the black streaks in her hair."

Having it register that she was being called to, Scarlet looked over at the store that the young woman was standing at. Looking around to make sure she was the only one with black streaks in her hair, she pointed directly at herself confused, "Who, me?"

"Yes you," the nameless woman couldn't help but chuckle at finally being able to catch Scarlet's attention. "What is the matter? Are you lost?"

Cupping her elbows, Scarlet walked over towards the dark magic store so she wouldn't have to yell her responses from where she was standing. "No, I am not lost. I am just wondering what I should do at this moment. I don't really feel like going back home where my dad is just itching to start a fight with me."

"Oh, I see. My name is Silvia Millis," Silvia said, offering her hand to Scarlet for her to shake if she wanted to.

"Hi," Scarlet said in return, taking Silvia's hand to shake in return before guiding it back to her elbow. "My name is Scarlet—Scarlet Baker."

"You can come on inside the store if you want to while you are deciding on what to do," Silvia suggested as she stepped on inside, leaving the door open for Scarlet if she wanted to join her in the store. "It's only me today seeing as everyone else is preparing for the great festival tomorrow on Wicker Avenue."

"Thank you," Scarlet whispered as she stepped on inside. "The festival? You mean the festival of the gods?" Stepping cautiously inside since the store was new to her, she took in the sight of the many candles lit throughout the store as well as the books that lined the shelves and intricately designed jewelry and gems. It set off a gentle feeling regardless of the dark name the store held.

"Oh yes," Silvia nodded as she tossed the keys upon the counter, allowing the keys to chime together from the impact upon the top of the counter. "I plan on celebrating on my own terms, that is why I am still minding the store. I have already made my preparations for the big event."

Scarlet pulled a book from the shelf that held a gold sewn wind symbol upon the pure white cover. Watching for a moment as Silvia jumped over the counter to get back to work, she raised her brow at the woman confused. "How do you plan on celebrating the big day? You do it differently?"

The store worker nodded as she lit another candle upon the counter top that had burned out while she was away. "Of course I do. I may believe in them all but I don't believe they are actually gods and I am sure others are coming to believe that as well with all things considered."

Thumbing through the pages before her of the book she currently held, Scarlet walked to the counter where Silvia was standing. "If they're not gods then…what are they?"

Silvia stood there, leaning upon the counter with her arms crossed upon the glass top as she locked her brown eyes upon Scarlet's. Her finger twirling about a piece of loose hair that hung down the side of her face, with a sidewise grin. "I think they are demons. I don't believe they are **evil** demons, but I do believe they are demonic creatures that helped erect and protect Wind Knoll there in Hell."

"Who told you that?" Scarlet asked sounding almost a bit defensive in the beliefs she was brought up to belief in. "They are not demons! That's—that's ludicrous!"

A soft spot was obviously hit as Silvia threw her hands up quickly as if to stop Scarlet from tearing into her. "Whoa, whoa, I was just telling you what I believe now. But really, you can't seriously think they are gods with the practices people perform for them. Some are holy practices but some are satanic." Spying the book in Scarlet's hands, Silvia nodded at the item in the girl's hands before popping in a stick of gum into her mouth. "Do you want that book?"

Her grayish, green eyes peering back down at the book she had in her hands, she opened the pages once more to skim at what was inside. "What exactly is this?"

"That's a spell book for the 'Wind God'," Silvia explained putting finger quotes around the title of the god she referred to as a demon. "Do you want it? I've heard it actually works from some people who've used it." Her tone was enticing it seemed as she waved slightly from side to side.

"What exactly is inside of it? What spells?" Scarlet pried, placing the book there on the counter before Silvia.

Grabbing up the book off of the counter, Silvia refreshed her mind by thumbing through the first few pages or so. "Well, it has wind spells, spells for love, guidance, good fortune, and even a spell that calls out to the 'Wind God' to come and visit you either in your dreams or personally."

Every time Silvia said 'god' seemed to be her way to mock the religious beliefs Scarlet believed in since she was born. It irritated Scarlet a bit but she said and did nothing as she took back the book so as to put it back up where she found it. "I don't have enough money for it," she sighed to release her frustration in having to deal with someone who believed the gods she worshipped were actually demons. "I am unemployed and don't exactly have anything to sell that could get me the money I need for it."

"You sound interested," Silvia pointed out almost in glee in her expression. "I'll tell you what—you come to the store and help me out and you can have the book. You just have to work here to work off the price for it which is sixty dollars and forty cents."

"That much for a book?" Scarlet laughed almost sourly seeing as it wasn't any different than any other book.

"Sweetheart, it works," Silvia felt need to clarify for the price. "And the last thing we want is several people beckoning to the Wind Demon. Who can only say what would happen if the Wind Demon was overworked." Obviously she was feeling comfortable now and didn't mind blurting out that she believed they were demons and not 'gods'. "So, do we have a deal?"

Scarlet didn't know what to say at this point. She had nothing else to do really and she was into being entertained. Besides, she now had a job and maybe it could continue to be a sure fire deal for awhile. Scarlet managed a nod as she walked over to the cash register. "Alright, it's a deal. I'll give you my information so you can come pull me out if I don't ever show up."

"Deal," Silvia retorted, smacking the gum she was chewing in her mouth. "You'll need to come in at eleven in the morning at most. That's when the store opens and I have already set up things around the place. I'll introduce you to the other workers after the festival tomorrow. And if you need help with the book, I can help you there too when it deals with calling forth the Wind Demon."

Scarlet finished writing down all her information before pushing it close to the worker at the Black Magic store. "Alright, then I will come in the day after tomorrow."

"My friends and some of my co-workers will be meeting up here tomorrow too if you want to join us," Silvia replied as she pocketed Scarlet's information by conveniently placing it in her bra seeing as she had no pockets on her dress. "We'll be hanging out around here worshipping them our own way if you want to see what we do."

Scarlet couldn't help but shake her head at the offer rather quickly. She didn't mind Silvia expressing that the 'Gods' were demons in her view but to have to witness their rituals made her shrink into a corner and shake at the thought. "No—no thanks, but thanks anyways for the offer. I think I will stick to my own beliefs for now…" Figuring everything was set, Scarlet hurried for the door. "Thanks for the book."

"You're welcome," Silvia called back as she started to mess with the gum she was chewing upon.

Keeping the demonic spell book close to her chest, Scarlet looked over her shoulder at the store she had signed on to be within with a bit of a disappointed sigh to herself. She couldn't believe she had offered to work for a place that contradicted her mother's beliefs. But then again, it was hard to believe in them period concerning her mother's death as well as her birth father's.

Scarlet pulled the book away from her chest to look at the cover with a shake of her head. "I guess I might as well go home. It's almost dinner time." Turning upon her heels, Scarlet headed back to her home upon Lavender Lane. Her sandals dragged against the pavement a bit as she headed on her way. She wasn't exactly eager to meet back up with her father, but at least she found a store to use as an escape that day.


	2. Chapter 2

The moon rose steadily that evening as Scarlet managed to survive dinner with her father and make it up to her bedroom by taking the staircase. He was in one of those moods where he really didn't care about what was going on and the fact that she had a job merely left way for a smart remark on his end. Scarlet didn't let it affect her as she made it to the door to her bedroom where she would have her peace for the day if anything for the long nightly hours she stayed awake just to watch TV and write poetry and short stories. Her door creaked open as she invited herself inside, tossing the book she bought early that evening upon her messy bedcovers she neglected to fix before departing the house. "Man, what a day this has been," she muttered as she sat upon the side of the bed to kick off her sandals so her feet could be at least free.

The wind from outside blew through her cracked window causing the pages of the Wind Spell Book to flip slowly thanks to it being slightly rough. The sound of the pages turning on their own catching her attention, Scarlet looked down at the book to see it opening to nothing in particular as she closed it back to view the cover. Searching it from front to back, she saw it had no description. The spell book merely had a symbol on the cover that represented wind. She could only wonder if the spells could really call to a God let alone a 'demon' as Silvia claimed the wind creature was. It was tempting to try at that moment seeing as her nights were long and filled with nothing but her own works there at her writing desk near the window.

Scarlet looked at the window she kept cracked on the hot spring and summer days from where she was sitting as she scooped up the book into her embrace. She walked over to her only view to the outside world seeing as it was near her writing and reading desk anyways and watched from the second story of her house as the fog began to gather. It was always bad around eight or so at night and it was hard to even see past the lamp post that rested near her mailbox. It sometimes gave her inspiration but it also gave her fear like some of the other citizens of Wind Knoll.

Pulling the book away from her body, she opened the first page to see an introduction chapter and she couldn't help but sigh almost irritably at herself. "What could it hurt?" She wondered aloud as she sat down at her desk to start reading the book. Scarlet turned on her lamp as she sat down at her writing desk that was next to her television that rested to the right of her. Opening to the first page, she read what she could in hopes of finding a good 'laugh' for the night.

_The introduction was everything that I already knew about the 'Gods' around my town. I knew that Jin the Wind 'God' was a man of infinite power and used the wind to convey his thoughts and moods. Whenever he was happy, he took care of the fog when the sun rose and kept Wind Knoll heavily guarded during the morning hours. Sometimes his wind would guide travelers in and out of the town and sometimes, if they were heavy sinners, he would let them get forever lost in the Fog of No Return._

_But whenever he was angry, he would use his wind to unleash tornados and destroy part of Wind Knoll. Whenever this happened, people who believed in his powers would pray for his forgiveness on their or other's behalf or say spells from this very book I was reading to make him stop. But if he didn't, nonbelievers and 'sinners' would be slaughtered at his temple as a sacrifice or atonement for their sins. It was a reason that people never suggested that the Wind 'God' was ever angry…for if they did, someone would pay for it if the anger never ceased._

_It was also stated that Jin was the demon found in the area Wind Knoll stands upon thanks to lost travelers eons ago. He was found hovering several inches off of the ground training in the middle of the fog with the Ice 'God', Touya. Many other creatures expressing amazing power over humans surfaced from the foggy corners of the woodlands and they too became part of the people's beliefs. Some people say it was the very depths of Hell that Wind Knoll was build upon to see such creatures…others argue it was the tips of Heaven and that's why it was build here…_

Flipping the last page of the introduction, Scarlet made it to the next chapter dealing with the spells that could be used. They were minor, warm-up type spells for any beginner and it couldn't help but force out a scoffing laugh from Scarlet. "What is with these sissy spells? If this thing really works, I want to do something big."

Thumbing through the spell book for a moment, she stopped when she saw out of the corner of her eye a picture of her mom by herself when she was younger and before her mother had her. Cynthia was in her early twenties at best with a straw bonnet on her head that she kept firmly on her head thanks to the wind blowing about her long strawberry blond hair in the wind that was to her buttocks at the time. She was wearing a sleeveless summer dress that was white with a picture of a few butterflies and flowers sewn within it. Scarlet began to remember how she blamed Touya the Ice God for so many things when it came to her mother's death, and she stopped looking to him, finding him to be unimportant, especially if he wasn't going to answer her prayers. Her fingers gripped onto the frame of the picture that was there on her desk to look at her mother closely before placing it back there where it was to search eagerly within the spell book there before her.

"Those two Gods were claimed to be friends with one another," Scarlet said eagerly as she continued hunting through the many pages for an answer. "There has to be a way to summon him and get answers from Touya, the Ice God!"

After skimming the many pages there before her, she eventually came upon the 'summon spell' Silvia spoke of that was in the book on page 180. the fancy ink set upon the pages that clearly stated it was the **Wind's Call summoning spell**, caught Scarlet's attention as she read what it did and what was needed for it. She was desperate for answers at this point and was being run by that desperation. Pressing her finger under the words she was going to read, she read them aloud to herself.

"In order to beckon to the Wind Demon's form, you must first cleanse your body thoroughly inside and out. Do not drink any kind of alcohol or do any kind of impure drugs that could taint the inside of your form or the Wind Demon Jin will not be able to locate where the call is coming from. The demon is best known to hunt for the light being deprived of it for so long. Line the good majority of the room with pure white candles and light them all at night. Let that be the only light the Wind Demon can search out in the endless dark while wearing the Wind Demon's pendent or crest."

Scarlet paused a moment in her reading, having a list of all the things she would have to do as she cupped her forehead in her palm. "White candles to litter my bedroom at night? If my dad ever saw that, he'd shoot me for making such a mess and not to mention making such a wasteful purchase. He's so picky about what we buy these days." Flipping the page in her hand back and forth, she couldn't help but swear to herself. "Dammit, I also don't have a crest or anything of him either."

Sighing, Scarlet looked back over at the picture of her younger mother as she debated on what to do. It was probably a bunch of garbage anyways—to be able to summon the Wind God from beyond his temple. To think on how ridiculous it was, she closed the book while remaining fixed upon her mother's younger days. Her chin meeting with her desk, she brought the picture closer to her face again to eye her mother better, managing a smile for that moment at being able to recall the good times she had with her deceased mother.

"I guess I can't really deal with this tonight," Scarlet said, closing the book upon her desk as she hunted around the area for her remote control. Her palm resting upon the side of her desk, she searched underneath it for the TV remote she always put in different spots in her room before her fingers finally came upon it hidden on the floor next to her rolling chair. Flipping it towards her television set that was close by she turned it on to no station in particular before tossing the remote on the foot of her bed.

She preferred to have her television running on low volume or at least her CD player if she was writing so the silence wouldn't frighten her and keep her focus when she mostly wrote down her thoughts on the clean sheets that lined her desk every morning and night. Wind Knoll was a town that literally died at night. Nobody could venture out into the thick foggy darkness unless they wanted to die a slow, painful death by getting lost in the endless fog. The crickets and birds were even too frightened to be about or even near Wind Knoll at night so it was horribly quiet, minus the thunderstorms and tranquil blowing of the wind that prompted trees and bushes to speak.

Scarlet grabbed a pencil in her stack of writing utensils sitting on her desk to start writing the beginning of a romantic poem that could set her mind at ease being the hopeless romantic she was at heart or at least at times. Scribbling away at some words that she felt would flow together to make the rhyme she had set, she began placing the lines together in hopes of it coming out the way she had planned as the night went on. The night was always her time to be creative even if it cost her every afternoon.

---------------------------------------------------------

The commotion outside of her window woke Scarlet rudely early that morning as she was trying to sleep from the long night she pulled. She had forgotten it was The Festival of the Gods that day but the people outside celebrating sure weren't going to let her forget it. Her eyes batting open, she eyed the blurry numbers on her clock that said it was at least eleven something in the morning before Scarlet looked over her shoulder at the windows that weren't blocking out the noise. Once she managed to find the strength, she got to her feet and stumbled over to her cracked window to look outside at the crowded streets. The Ice Temple was nearby her house and those worshippers were obviously celebrating out and about it.

The Festival of the Gods lasted all day on April twenty-fourth. It was to celebrate the creation of Wind Knoll and its founding. In the holy scriptures of each temple, it stated the five gods helped build and protected Wind Knoll until departing for the heavens. The people of the town still believed they continued to do so to this day and the ceremony focused primarily upon giving thanks and attention to them until the stroke of midnight when the day was clearly over—the one night where they would stay out past eight. Needless to say, the parties lasted for quite awhile and people ate, drank, partied, prayed, as well as drop off gifts to the god or gods they chose.

Scarlet could remember clearly, from that window, many times she would be woken early in the morning around eight or so by her mother to attend the festival and help put up a few things at Touya's temple. At the time it was a joyous day but now it just soured her to the point where she closed her window to try and block out the jubilation occurring outside.

The window slammed closed thanks to the force Scarlet put upon it, she walked back towards her bed, rubbing her eyes to try and focus on what was going on around her. She felt pretty loopy and dizzy as she made her way to the bathroom that was not too far from her bed she used as a crutch before making it to the doorway. The door closed behind her just a little bit, Scarlet supported herself wearily upon the sink that was underneath her mirror cabinet. Her fingers turning the squeaky faucet so she could splash her face as she sighed out her exhaustion while she thought on what to do that day seeing as everything would be closed.

"Today is going to be so boring," she muttered groggily, cupping her hands under the water to bring to her face in hope of waking herself up. "I wanted to work on that spell, but I don't have the things it asked for—."

Pausing for a moment, Scarlet remembered that Silvia was going to keep the store open to praise the Gods there with other fellow co-workers who believed in what she did. She knew if anything, Silvia's store would or could have the items she needed. Being that she was now an employer working off her debt on the book, she didn't find it unfitting to ask for more to put on her debt seeing as she wanted to keep the job for some reason other than money she could use on herself.

Her eyes wondering back to her cracked bathroom door, she thought on what to do, especially involving the questions her father might ask if she were to leave today. He hated The Festival of the Gods and if he found out she was participating in pure 'devil worship', she would be punished severally. She had nothing else planned for the holiday and college was out for it so she couldn't get in trouble for missing classes.

"If he asks," she said to herself, "I will just lie."

Grabbing onto a towel, she dabbed her face dry before grabbing some makeup to use to cover up any blemishes she felt might raise a few questions if not set people off. She may not have cared about her looks at times but that was before she even retrieved a job and was forced to interact with others. The bottles of makeup, combs, and many other helpful girlie beauty and hair treatment products knocking together, she eventually found the makeup she was looking for to dab upon her face to get ready for the crowd she would be walking through that day.

--

The noise was worse outside on the streets. Everyone was either already drunk or working on it with the drinks they had set out for everyone of drinking age to enjoy. Scarlet had to fight her way through drunks and crazy religious freaks to make her way down to Willard Drive where the Black Magic store was located near the oncoming country side of Wind Knoll. Even if the place did view the gods as demons, she never thought she would be so happy to see it as she dashed towards the store that was her only island of safety at that moment.

The little bell situated over the door rang as soon as Scarlet invited herself inside to find nobody within the first room or even behind the counter. She walked cautiously about the area with her guard about her since the store still put her slightly on edge. "Hello," Scarlet called, "is anybody here?"

In the back of the store was an area closed off by a red, flowing cloth. When Silvia heard the bell as well as a slightly familiar tone calling for assistance, she couldn't help but push it slightly out of the way to see who was there, surprised to see Scarlet. "Hi there—I didn't expect to see you here today. What do you need?"

Scarlet could tell Silvia obviously forgot her name, thus avoiding it when she spoke as she tried to press a smile regardless. "Hi, I was wondering if you would by any chance have white candles for me to use."

Silvia nodded once as she looked off to her right, "Sure we do, but why do you need them? We're closed for the day because of the holiday. My friends and I are just using it as a spot to worship the demons."

"Well, that's why I need them," Scarlet explained, scratching an annoying spot on the back of her head. "I was looking at that book I bought last night and a spell required them as well as some wind pendent or crest—something like that."

Silvia moved a knife from behind her back, startling Scarlet slightly at the sight of the jagged tip. "You're aiming for the summoning spell?" She asked, pressing the flat surface of the blade against her own cheek in thought. Silvia spied the fear and nervous stature about Scarlet and couldn't help but scoff a bit. "It's just a knife, girlie, goodness."

"Yes, I was going to try the spell just to see if it would work," Scarlet answered simply, "though I have my doubts."

The raven haired store worker slightly sighed as she rolled her eyes off to the direction she was looking towards to head down one of the many rows of shelves erected within the store. Her finger tips gently touched the books and items upon the shelf to her right randomly before dropping the hand back to her side once she finally came upon the area that kept many different colored candles, scented and the like. "Here are the candles that you will need. Just pure white candles if you are intent on summoning Jin the Wind Demon. As far as the pendants and crests go, those are located up front in the display case."

Scarlet hurried to where Silvia was standing to look at the candles she had there. There were several and of many different size, shape, color, and width. It took a whole section just to fit the verities in for the gods that were worshipped. "How many do I need exactly?"

"That depends on how big your room is," Silvia answered as she hopped down from the ledge of the lower shelf she was standing upon. "How big is your room?"

"Well, gee, it's not like I measure it every day," Scarlet remarked sarcastically as she crossed her arms to think on it. "But if you want to get a decent picture of it, it's a medium sized room that could probably only fit five people inside of it without it being horribly crowded."

"Damn, that's a small room," Silvia scoffed as she looked back over at the candles. "I would say take about…twenty if not maybe thirty. The more light in your room, the better chances you have of calling to him." Her eyes looking to Scarlet, she tilted her head slightly as she touched one of the candles on the shelf above her head. "So how many are you taking?"

"How much are they?"

"What does it matter to you?" The young woman wondered. "You're only going to put it on your tab anyways, aren't you?"

Scarlet nodded as she scratched the side of her head with her thumbnail, "True. But I would still like to know how much they are."

Silvia sighed as she looked back at the price since she didn't have them all down at heart. "I would say that if you were to get thirty, it would cover up for sure your tiny room and wouldn't be too expensive since if you get ten for only five bucks, and the next batch of ten you get free. So in all you would only have to pay at least ten dollars." Her small, delicate fingers rapped upon the shelf's wooded surface a moment as she waited on Scarlet's answer. "Not too bad compared to the book."

The young Scarlet nodded in silent agreement before grabbing a few that were bundled together by a fake golden band. "What about the crest or whatever it is I have to have next? How much is that?"

Silvia grabbed a few as well to help Scarlet to the front counter and display desk so she could check her out. "That all depends, what and who exactly do you worship? Or do you even take this seriously at all?" She wondered aloud as she got the candles to the counter before opening the display to grab the wind crest and pendent. They were both silver and held the form of a tornado with two doves, probably, taking flight next to one another in a Celtic type design.

Hearing the slight irritation in Silvia's voice, Scarlet couldn't help but blink a few times confused. "It's kind of hard to take anything seriously when you pray to your God to spare your mother from death and he doesn't even act as though he cares," she sighed bitterly whilst looking off angrily to the side hoping to avoid criticizing looks from Silvia.

"Everyone feels that way when someone they love dies, but you have to know that there are a lot of people who worship him, and I am sure he can only take care of so many people," the woman felt need to point out, placing her knife down on the counter. "Besides, demons don't work miracles. They merely wait for the people to die so they can take them under to hell with them."

Scarlet's eyes widened in distaste at having to hear that as she pounded her fist down upon the counter top to catch Silvia's attention, "Don't say that! That's not true! You don't even know that's true!"

Jumping slightly from the reaction of Scarlet, Silvia forgot that she was hell-bent on believing the creatures were gods and not demons. But remembering her remark earlier, Silvia couldn't help but sneer slightly. "Please, girlie, you don't even know what to believe anymore. If you were so into your own beliefs in saying their 'gods', you wouldn't be here buying more things to help with the spell you're about to cast. You are merely being a hypocrite."

"Maybe so, but I don't want to believe that my mother is rotting in hell!" Scarlet exploded angrily. "I am so desperate at this moment, I am willing to do anything to get the Gods attention, whether it's by a demon spell book or not! I want answers for why he let my mother perish slowly on her bed!"

"Who is 'he'?" Silvia asked simply, leaning upon the counter with her forearms crossed in front of her.

Scarlet sighed as she massaged her neck having to think on him once again. "Touya the Ice God," she answered somberly. "My mom looked to him even in her dying days."

"And yet you want to beckon to the wind demon—makes sense," Silvia said sarcastically as she held out the items still with a sigh. "Alright, since you worship or worshipped someone totally different, I would say go for the pendent; **HOWEVER**," she emphasized loudly, "what you must do with it is something beyond just wearing it. What you have to do is engrave it within your flesh somewhere so the wind demon will know who to go to when you call to him."

"Wait a minute," Scarlet intervened with a wave of her hands, "I have to brand myself like a common cow to have him come to me?"

Once again Silvia showed she was getting annoyed as she put the pendent down on the counter a moment. "Look, you were baptized at Touya the Ice Demon's Temple, weren't you? If so, his crest should be cut into your body! You cannot be rebaptized, so you might as well burn this symbol into your skin somewhere unless you're a really good artist and can use a knife!"

Scarlet looked at her body a moment remembering where the crest was of the Ice God. It was a small snow flake Celtic symbol with two smaller ones below the biggest one embedded within her right hand and grew in size the bigger she got from when it was given to her as a baby. Opening up her hand a moment to look at it, she closed it once more to pay attention to Silvia since she knew more about this than she.

The store worker kept the pendent dangling from her hand, the swaying of the item almost hypnotic. "These spells aren't spells were you say a chant or a prayer and that is that. You have to prove how desperately you want to speak to them; the higher up the spell, the higher the price and the demand for you to show your eagerness to speak or please the demons. Be warned that there are even spells in there were you have to spill your own blood to entice him."

Scarlet's fear was soon nonexistent at hearing that as she took the pendent. "That I am all too familiar with doing, so don't worry about that one. So how much is this thing?"

"Twenty-five dollars," Silvia answered, ringing her up for the day so she could get back to what she was doing. "So that makes your total debt out to be ninety five dollars. I hope you plan on working all of that off. I would hate to destroy your little quest in getting answers from the demon Lords."

Shaking her head, Scarlet grabbed the bags everything was put inside, "I promised you I would, and I keep my promises. Besides, I don't like being at home with my dad all the time…I don't like his company."

"See you tomorrow then, bright and early," Silvia said with a wave behind her as she headed back to the curtained area in the back.

Stepping out of the store with what she had bought, Scarlet sighed a bit as she headed back to Lavender Lane where her decrepit house was located. She prayed all the way there that her father wouldn't be at the door or near the entrance to the house or else she would be attacked verbally for what she had done—buy 'useless' items. On her way home, however, she couldn't help but stop to look over at the Ice Temple that was a few feet away from her when she got to the beginning of Lavender Lane.

Scarlet sucked in her lower lip as she eyed the temple from afar, narrowing her eyes upon the entrance of the large church looking temple that was made of the finest white marble and blue that outlined most of the designs and the roof. She knew if she said anything horrible towards the Ice God, she would get in trouble with his worshippers all around her and the last thing she wanted to do was make herself the next sacrificial lamb for the Ice God whenever the winter weather got too crazy.

_I will get my answers_, she grumbled to herself as she hurried towards her house that was just few blocks away. _I promise you that, Touya_.

The front door creaked open slowly as she peeked her head inside to hunt for her father only to find the coast clear. She could hear from the door that the television was running in the living room that was at the end of the hallway the staircase with situated in, which were only a few feet away from her. Scarlet silently closed the door behind her before hurrying towards the steps to race up them. Her sandaled feet beat against the carpeted stairs, only to snag her father's attention in the room further down the hall on the first floor.

"Scarlet, is that you?" He asked demandingly.

Scarlet froze in her tracks as she heard her father's voice. Closing her eyes tightly with an irritable hiss, she cursed silently before calling to her father in return like nothing was wrong. "Uh, yes, dad, it's me."

"You weren't outside taking part in that devil worship, like the rest of those lunatics, were you?"

"No, dad," Scarlet answered without hesitation, thinking up an excuse quickly. "I was just going for a walk. You know I don't worship Touya the Ice God anymore."

"You better not be," he clearly grumbled loudly to reach Scarlet who was at the top of the stairs by now.

"I don't," she called back, jogging to her room. "I promise."

Closing her door behind her, Scarlet let out a sigh of relief before locking it to make sure her father couldn't get into her room if anything where to happen that might draw attention to him in another room. Placing the bags on the bed that was still unmade, she opened them up to pull out the pendent that she would have to use to burn into her skin. "I guess I'll do this all tonight…just like the book told me."

The pendent glistening off of the light it was granted as Scarlet placed it back into the bag just in case her dad demanded entrance into her room. The last thing she wanted was for him to see what she had planned on doing dealing with 'devil worship'. Grabbing the bags she had, she quickly shoved them under her bed where she knew they would be safe until midnight.

--

The clock in the center of town chimed three times to indicate that the final hour of the day had passed and it was the end of The Festival of the Gods. Scarlet looked up from the short story she was writing to listen for the third chime before putting up her items to fish out the wind spell book that she hid within the many books she owned. Pulling it out, she quickly turned it to page 180 where the summoning spell was.

"Alright, I already took a shower before hand so now all I have to do is light the candles, right?" Scarlet said only to herself as she placed the book down on her bed for a moment.

Kneeling before her bed, she lifted up the covers that were draping over her bed so she could reach in and pull out the bags that held the items she would need for this spell. The thirty candles soon out of the container she had placed them within, Scarlet took off the band on the set of tens and started to set them appropriately across her bedroom so she could entice the Wind God to her room.

"This better work," she slightly grumbled once she got the candles to look attractive to her before lighting the match. "If my room burns down because of this spell, I am going to be pissed."

Scarlet was always leery about lighting candles in her room due to the fear of knocking one over or one being blown over. The fear of her room catching on fire prevented scented candles even though she enjoyed the smell of them. It took a few minutes, but eventually all candles were lit leaving only the spell as well as the wind crest to be applied into the equation.

Blowing out the last match, Scarlet grabbed onto the pendent that she would need to wear around her neck as well as engrave it in her hand. The pendent soon within her grasp, she leaned over to grab one of the lit candles off of her desk to hold the silver item over it in hopes of making it hot enough to burn the design into her left hand. She waited a few minutes before pulling it back and, without hesitation, Scarlet quickly pressed the hot metal against her palm to let it singe into her flesh. Biting her lower lip, she couldn't help but let out a silent, pain filled cry as she tried her hardest not to be loud. Panting heavily afterwards, Scarlet steadily pulled the item from her hand to see that it did indeed burn the item's design into her left palm.

"Damn," she hissed through her teeth with a slight whence. "That really hurt…!" She knew her hand was going to be feeling quite numb for awhile as she managed to bring herself to her bathroom so cool off the metal on the pendent with the cold water she ran. Scarlet didn't think bandaging her burnt hand was an option as she left it the way it was before ambling back towards her bed where the book was.

Glad at that moment she was a right-handed person, Scarlet read the rest of what she had to do with her right hand keeping the book opened. "Wear the pendent around your neck, for it is not only a symbol of the Wind God's authority over you, but a beacon and light in itself for him to find you. Items such as these are also known as the 'Demons' Eye', where you will be allowed to look within his eyes and see what he sees."

Turning the page before her since it continued onto the next one, she saw an illustration of the Wind Demon on that page that contained the spell. Her eyes focused upon the image, it showed a man with wild, long, red hair hovering upon wind while pointing down to the right as well as looking there with his deep blue eyes. He had wings as well as wore white robes like the statue depicting Touya the Ice God. She gazed at it for awhile before outlining a bit of it with her hand finding nothing wrong with him and nothing demonic as she looked back to the spell she was to say aloud.

"Let's see," Scarlet mumbled. "Block out all sounds around you and call to the Wind Demon by saying the lines below aloud. Make sure everything is done properly and that the only light is the candles lit within your room." Scarlet made sure that was that as she looked down at the chant below. "Now, what do I have to say?"

_I call to the Wind Demon of this earth.  
__He who protects and watches over me._

_I call to the Wind Demon of this town.  
__He who teaches and guides me._

_I call to the Wind Demon from above me.  
__He who keeps me from all evil._

_I call to the Wind Demon from within me.  
__He who is inside me and birthed me._

Blinking a few times, Scarlet couldn't help but scoff a bit as she attempted the spell once she put on the necklace. "Oookay," she chuckled sarcastically, "if that is what they want me to do."

She had to reread the lines a couple of times so she would know what to say without looking at the text and being able to focus on nothing but one thing, as if she were meditating. When she felt she finally got the lines down, Scarlet closed her eyes and focused upon them so she could chant them repeatedly out loud even if it was laughable to her just like prayer was lately.

"I call to the Wind Demon of this earth, he who protects and watches over me. I call to the Wind Demon of this town, he who teaches and guides me. I call to the Wind Demon from above me, he who keeps me from all evil. I call to the Wind Demon inside of me, he who is inside me and birthed me," she called out loud and seriously even if she felt like rolling with laughter.

Scarlet continued to chant the lines she could clearly remember as the wind continued blowing about just as it always had, the candles remaining lit. When she repeated the verses a seventh or so time, she eventually stopped to look at the room around her slowly. She was hoping when she opened her eyes she would see what she wanted to see, but alas, nothing happened. It was the same room as before, just with many lit white candles.

Sighing angrily in defeat, Scarlet got up off of her bed to go put medicine on her aching, burned hand. "This is stupid," she grumbled as she headed for the bathroom. "I was stupid to actually believe in the crap they spouted!"

Making it to her bathroom, she looked at the damage done to her left hand only able to flinch at the wound wondering if she would be able to tend to it herself. Sighing, still angry at what had happened and how foolish she had been, she opened up the medicine cabinet in her bathroom that had a mirror attached to the front of the cabinet door that was above her sink. Hunting through the many medicines and creams she owned, Scarlet finally came upon the cream that was used forever ago for a couple of burns she got thanks to helping her mother in the kitchen when she was ill and had a hard time baking on her own. She knew it was in there somewhere and was lucky to find it. As Scarlet closed the bathroom cabinet she didn't notice the person standing behind her until she looked up at the mirror feeling someone was watching her.

Spying the shaggy, redhead standing behind her that didn't look at all human thanks to his horn, pointed ears, and weird overbite, Scarlet couldn't help but scream at the sight of someone else in her bathroom as she dropped the cream in her hand causing it to spill all over the floor upon doing so as she quickly spun around wondering if she was dreaming.

Before she could even ask who or what he was, the creature quickly ran over to her to cup her mouth to prevent her from screaming anymore. "Goodness, don't yell so loud! My ears cannot take the horrid sound!" He hissed softly, keeping his hand where it was over the wide-eyed Scarlet that was still in a panic over his appearance. "Now, what do you want?"


	3. Chapter 3

Scarlet remained locked wide-eyed on the redheaded creature that had her. She was about to scream again even if he had her mouth cupped with his hand but she was stopped when her father's voice started booming behind her door to her bedroom.

"Scarlet, dammit, what the hell are you doing in there!" Chris growled furiously as he pounded upon her door with his fist. He was trying to sleep and was angered that his daughter was causing such a fuss after midnight. Turning the doorknob to really let her have it, he opened it up to hunt her down through the candlelit room.

The redheaded demon panicked at the elder male he didn't recognize as he looked at the room that Chris was wandering within just a short distance away. Gazing at the startled young girl, he held his finger to his lips as if to shush her. "I am not here."

Scarlet looked at him confusingly and still with fright before her father finally made his way to the doorway of the bathroom that was right near her bedroom door.

As Chris looked at her, he couldn't help but notice how pale she looked and how frightened she seemed. He cocked his brown, bushy brows at her wondering what had her so scared aside from his entrance as he came closer not even seeing the demon standing close by his daughter. The bathroom was too small for him to get in and really let her have it so he remained at the doorway to scold her. "What the hell is wrong with you, Scarlet? You should be asleep! And what is with all these candles?"

The young woman stood there confused. She was wondering why her father wasn't seeing what she was seeing. The creature was right there next to her staring her down and making her nervous. Why couldn't he see it? Not wanting to spill the beans on the redhead next to her as he asked her not to, she tried to force on a smile through her shaky expression. "It—it was just a rat. I was getting ready for bed and this rat was in my bathroom but I got it."

Chris' fingers tapped upon the off-white lining of the chipped woodwork of the bathroom doorway. He felt something was amiss about her behavior and, for some reason, sensed she was lying even if her excuse was possible. He didn't have any proof that it was a lie as he turned his attention to the candles. "What about the candles?"

"Oh—umm—well, dad, don't you think they look better?" Scarlet continued onward in her lie best she could. "And, besides, I won't be running up our electricity bill with my lamps and things."

The redheaded demon remained put as he continued to eye the man that was looking back at the candles as if to debate on what to say to her. His finger positioned on his mouth a moment, he continued to tap them as if trying to remember where he had seen him before if not trying to remember his name.

Scarlet's father merely nodded a few times before looking at his daughter angrily. Grabbing onto her neck tightly as if to choke her, he was merely pinching her skin there causing Scarlet to whimper in pain while begging him to let go. "You make one more sound tonight and you are going to sleep out on the streets tonight, you hear me!"

"Yes, yes!" Scarlet insisted as she grabbed onto his wrist to stop the pain from being any worse. "I am sorry, I will go to bed!"

The demon remained on the sidelines, not interfering as he watched the young girl who called him be thrown upon the tiled floor. Scrunching his face up at the actions of the abusive man, he came closer to his face though Chris flinched not a bit from where the demon was standing directly in front of him. "Well, what a rude person he is."

"Shut up," Scarlet hissed silently while her dad was about to leave.

He caught her silent words as he threatened to run back in there to teacher her another lesson. "What did you say?" Chris asked angrily, showing that he wanted a rephrase of her grumbled words.

"Nothing," she answered fearfully, bringing her body close to the side of her shower.

"And I want this crap on the floor cleaned up," he demanded pointing to the spilt cream Scarlet dropped when the visitor surprised her. Feeling tired and still enraged, Chris pulled himself out of her room to go back to his own across the hall where he was sleeping peacefully.

Scarlet remained on the cold tiles for a moment, flinching from the slamming of her door as well as the pain she was given from the burn to her hand. Her fingers wrapping tightly about her left wrist, she bit her lower lip and closed her eyes tightly to show her pain in the matter. "Holy hell—this really hurts."

The wind demon squatted down on the tile floor to look at the injury she had obtained. The young woman panicked and scooted closer to the shower behind her like a frightened animal that had been cornered. From where he was, he could see the wind diagram on her hand and couldn't help but nod to himself realizing why she probably burned it into her. "You worshipped someone else, didn't you? Or did you even worship someone at all?"

Her gray and green eyes batted slightly as Scarlet shook her head a few times at the redheaded man before her. "What—who are you? What do you want?"

"I am Jin the Wind Master. As for what I want—well—I should be asking you that, actually because you summoned me," Jin answered as he stood upright.

Scarlet's eyes widened further as she examined the male from head to toe. "No, no," she said a few times as she got to her feet with her burned hand closed to her body. "This must be a mistake! I asked for someone totally different, not you! I was looking for a man with long red hair and a human looking body with robes—a Jin the Wind God who protects Wind Knoll!"

Jin couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as he shrugged his shoulders. "That is me. He is me," he chuckled as he headed out of the bathroom for a moment to look at her room.

Scarlet was quick to follow, forgetting about the pain in her hand for a moment. She refused to believe that this man was the God she had been told about. It made her want to faint but she refused to do so as she caught up with him in her bedroom.

"I have many names in this town," Jin continued as he looked at the pictures in her bedroom. "Jin the Wind Master, Jin the Wind Tamer, Jin the Wind Messenger, Jin the Wind Demon, and known by most as—Jin the Wind God." His hand came across her bed and in doing so it came upon the spell book Scarlet was using. Picking up the book, Jin looked at the spell as well as the image of the man she was expecting. "And apparently I have many different forms too," he chuckled softly. "You humans are so funny. You take a thousand year old story and rearrange facts. You never get your stories straight."

The young woman remained silent for a moment as she shook her head several times furiously. "Then…what the hell are you? Are you a god or a demon?"

"Seriously, sweetie, what do I look like to you?" Jin asked as he sat down on her bed to show off his fangs to her as well as point to his horn jetting slightly from his wild red hair. "I am a demon. But don't worry, lass, I am a friendly one not like those others that want to **bite** your head off as your myths and fairytales describe."

"No…this can't be right!" Scarlet insisted as she slunk down to the floor beneath her in shock. "You—I was told I worshipped a **GOD**!" At that moment, she about suffered a panic attack from realizing the truth about her religion there in Wind Knoll. All this time she thought she was worshipping and staying true to her beliefs that were pure and holy when all this time they were demonic and satanic. "What—what about Touya the Ice God? Do you know about him? Is he a demon?"

Jin could tell she was in denial still over what was before her very eyes for it was there in her tone and gestures. Resting upon his palms that were slightly behind him on the bed he sat upon now, he couldn't help but look elsewhere as if refusing to answer her. He knew it would only resort in her possibly injuring herself and he didn't want to be responsible for that.

"Tell me, please!" She begged in a high whisper so as not to alert her father again. "That is why I summoned you to begin with, I want to know about Touya the Ice God and about my mother he took years ago."

His blue eyes wandering back to the pleading human, he thought on what to tell her. He knew telling someone that was once so dedicated to their beliefs the truth always either drove them mad or to sickness. It was one of the reasons he hated being summoned by minors or young adults.

Scarlet could still tell his resistance in the matter as she was eager for answers, the same eagerness that drove her to do the spell to begin with. Furrowing her brow in thought, she wondered what to do to make him tell her what she wanted to know. She risked a lot to bring him there and she wasn't sure how long he would stay. Remaining on her knees, she brought herself closer to his feet there on the floor. Her right hand gripping onto his nearest ankle, she placed her forehead upon the top of his foot gently regardless of the fact that he was a demon. "Please, please," she begged softly, "tell me what you know about him."

Jin cocked his brow at the girl as he sighed through his nostrils. Crossing his arms over his chest, he wiggled his foot a bit as if to get her to let go. He didn't mind being fawned over and given gifts like the people at his temple did, but there was a line he drew every once in awhile. "First I want you to take a deep breath. I don't want you having a heart attack on me."

She didn't care about taking a deep breath at that moment. She wanted to know the answers she was seeking from the wind demon. There on her hands and knees, Scarlet looked up at him with a puppy dog type pout. "Please tell me?"

Massaging in between his eyes, he knew it would be no easy way to tell her what she wanted to know. "Touya is known as many things like I am and with the same titles. But, like me, he is known simple as Touya the Ice God or Ice Master…or Ice Demon."

Scarlet stared at Jin wide-eyed as she sniffled back the tears she was about to spill knowing that her beliefs were all a lie. "But—but what about my mom? She died and she worshipped him!"

Jin couldn't help but laugh a bit even if the circumstances didn't call for it. "Why are you asking me, lass? Why didn't you call Touya or go to his temple to ask?" Seeing her right palm slightly from when she was wiping the tears from her eyes, Jin spied the snowflake design upon it recognizing it as Touya's trademark. "Aye, so he did indeed baptize you."

Knowing the demon was looking at her mark on her left palm, she quickly lowered that hand with an angry frown upon her face. "I didn't call to him because he took my mother so why should I look to him for what he did?" Scarlet got to her wobbly feet best she could to go clean up the mess she made in the bathroom upon Jin's arrival. "And I don't know who baptized me seeing as I haven't looked at the scriptures about you all for so long. I am betting it was a priest at his temple."

The demon remained quiet for a moment as he sat there upon the bed still, looking down at his feet to gather his thoughts. "Why are you taking it out on us? Touya and I were the ones who were spotted here and it was **YOUR** ancestors who chose to erect statues and then temples in demons' honors because of our powers. We didn't tell them to."

"Then why are you demons still here?" Scarlet demanded to know, turning from the bathroom to yell at the wind demon boldly.

"Goodness, you're very snappy," Jin retorted, rubbing the back of his neck as he got to his feet. Standing there in his shinobi attire, he towered over the young woman at his almost six foot height. "If you want to know the scriptures, I will tell you a bit—while you clean up the mess you made so you don't get in trouble."

Scarlet looked back at the bathroom door before eyeing the demon once more with a furious look on her face. "I don't want to know the scriptures anymore. It's nothing but devil worship."

"I'm not a devil, I am a demon and it's my wind and all the other demons you worship that keep this place safe from other evils far worse than what you are insinuating we are," Jin pointed out as the young girl soon turned her back on him. "This town is teetering on the very brink of hell and if you don't watch what you say, you may cause chaos for everybody."

Scarlet stopped at the doorway to her restroom as she snapped her head in the direction of the rambling redhead. "Is that a threat? Are you threatening me?"

"I am not threatening you, love, I am telling you the truth," Jin insisted with a sigh of frustration. "Now, do you want to know more or are you going to be ignorant to the very foundation this place was built on? I don't know about your mother nor did I hear about her from Touya, but I can help you get to that point if you want. That's why you prayed to me, right?"

"Gee, you sound like a genie," Scarlet grumbled as she picked up the broken glass on the floor that she could see.

"I am not; I thought we went through this. You prayed to me and I am answering your prayer because of that burned design you now have in your hand." Here Jin pointed to her palm when Scarlet turned to look at him. "You baptized yourself under my light and with my sign so you are one of my children. I share you with Touya now and we both listen to your prayers and your calls. That is what the baptizing is about and is for. It's for you to open your heart up to us and offer your soul to ours so we can keep track of you till you sadly die."

Scarlet listened to him against her will at that moment as she looked at the designs she was now cursed with till her death. Closing her right hand so she wouldn't have to look at it anymore, she gazed back up at the towering redhead she assumed to be a god.

"That is why your father couldn't see me," Jin continued. "He couldn't see me because he's not open to me. His heart is closed off and he wasn't baptized under any demon in this town. It was also a reason I told you to hush because he would think you were nuts to explain I was right there beside you when he sees right through me."

The young woman scoffed as she listened to him. Turning her back upon him again, she went back to work on picking up the glass. "He sees right through me too so there's something we have in common."

"You're not clean," Jin remarked almost randomly as he looked at her hands and arms he could see thanks to her short sleeve nightshirt she was wearing. "That prayer you just did, you were supposed to be pure and clean. Why did you not keep yourself clean?"

"What prayer?" Scarlet asked almost nervously as the demon was so close to her face. She looked down at her forearms he was staring at before eyeing his side profile yet again. "It wasn't a prayer, it was a spell—hey!"

Jin grabbed onto her wrist to keep her steady so he could look at her arms better. The young human woman did fight and struggle with him causing Jin to tighten his grip just a bit to show he wanted her to remain still. "Shhh, I am not going to hurt you," Jin promised as he tried to keep the frightened girl steady so he could look at her arm better.

But Scarlet refused to let him look at her makeup covered arms as she tried her best to fight him. "Let me go! Leave me alone!" She growled furiously.

The demon didn't want to hurt Scarlet. It was the furthest thing from his mind seeing as he was docile and disapproved of most bad lighting placed upon some demons since all were not evil, human eating, and meddling heartless beasts. However, she was working his nerves that he had little of with being a child at heart and he could get easily angered if things wouldn't go his way. His expression shifted to a pouty anger as his grip got a bit tighter than before as if threatening to break her wrists if she didn't hold still. "Will you stop it!" He exclaimed, expressing his annoyance. "I am just trying to look at your arms!"

Scarlet was paralyzed from his demand as she felt like scrunching up into a corner and remaining there seeing as she had had bad times before with men who wanted to yell at her and smack her around. She was insecure about showing off her arms to anyone with all things considered and a yappy demon sure wasn't going to make it any easier for her to reveal what was under the makeup she applied after her shower thinking it was okay to do so. She remained there up against the doorway letting the demon stare angrily at her for a moment or two before shifting to her arms.

Seeing she was going to be cooperative now, Jin shifted his ears slightly in interest as he started working on rubbing the makeup off with his palm gently. "The 'spells' you were reading are actually prayers. Why it has spell book on the cover I have no idea." His fingers continuing to work away at the liquid makeup she used before hand, Jin finally got the substance to get out of his way so he could view the abused flesh underneath it.

Scarlet's arm was cut up and had a few scars upon them as well as bruises. Jin couldn't help but flinch and hiss at the sight of it even if he was use to seeing far worse in hell where he resided. He knew, however, that humans were much more fragile and such things were rare if not something to worry about when seen in abundance upon a human, especially a female.

_His look said it all. He was disgusted at what he saw just as everyone else was who ever managed to see them, thus why I hid them with makeup or elbow length gloves. _

_I learned to pick up a knife for myself when my mother died. It was a way to release the pain that built up inside of me and I couldn't express to anyone else. My father wouldn't listen and I had no friends. I tried releasing it through those many blank pages that I filled up with words every night but even that refused to work. Whenever it got too difficult to manage the emotions inside, I would take out the butcher knife I stole from the kitchen and kept hidden in a box under my bed._

_After awhile of not eating properly, however, I stopped having the energy to do such a thing to myself so they got fewer and fewer. The scars embedded within my arms were a constant reminder of the pain I endured when I was younger. No matter how much makeup I used to make them disappear and pretend I didn't have them I could still feel them there in my skin—almost burning a hole right through the makeup and clothing I would wear._

Jin grabbed onto her wrist a moment to show her the marks on her arm as he raised a brow to her inquisitively. "Did that man do this to you?"

Scarlet was quick to pull her hand back when she felt his grip was a bit weaker than it was previously. Holding her right wrist within her other hand, she looked away from him with a shake of her head. "No…only some," she vaguely answered.

The demon was quiet once more as he looked upward at the ceiling a moment muttering something incoherent under his breath. Taking in a deep gulp of air and letting it out through his nostrils, he opened his eyes widely with a tilt of his head. "The bruises were caused by him and the cuts are from—something else."

Jerking her head back in slight shock, she looked about the room wondering how he arrived at that answer. "What—how the hell do you know that?"

"It's called listening to the spirits around me that are watching you," Jin chuckled, sticking out his tongue briefly as he pointed upward. "You're on constant watch here whether you realize it or not. I may not be able to watch you all the time and neither can Touya, but these wandering souls sure can."

"Stop it," Scarlet pleaded as she sunk further into her corner where she was sitting. "You're freaking me out."

Jin looked at her and his look was his way of laughing at her response to him. "Goodness, you'd think seeing something like me would make you believe nothing else in the world could be more of a surprise." Looking about him as if to watch these souls in her room Jin looked back at Scarlet with a sidewise grin. "These spirits are not evil. If they were, you'd be haunted which you are not." Jin pushed himself up off of the floor as he walked back towards the room to leave her to clean up the mess she made on the floor of the bathroom. Moving the book from his way, the demon wrapped his arms behind his head before plopping upon it on his back so he could relax. "Just let me know when you need me."

Scarlet watched the demon carefully before turning her focus back upon the mess at hand. Picking up the rest of the pieces of glass she could see, she threw them in her trashcan that was right by the door. The cream had gone everywhere and some of it was even now embedding within the dirty tiles, making it difficult to get all up. Grabbing her wash cloth, Scarlet began to work on the spill though she couldn't help but continue to look over at the demon relaxing peacefully upon her bed now. She couldn't believe that Jin the Wind God was actually Jin the Wind Demon of Wind Knoll. It was hard to register that and as she worked away at what was before her, she prayed this was all some kind of awful dream she would wake up from.

Moments later, Scarlet did manage to clean up her bathroom before walking back into her bedroom once she turned off her bathroom light and closed the door silently behind her. The demon remained upon her bed the way he was before with his eyes closed until he obviously heard the door shut. Peering into them when his baby blue eyes revealed themselves to her once more, she sat at the foot of her bed looking at Jin. Her delicate hands touched her messy and dirty comforter, she kept her eyes locked on the demon she had been blindly worshipping and praising for keeping Wind Knoll safe for people before her mother's death.

Jin looked down at her from where he remained positioned as he refused to move at the time. Turning his head to the side so he could get a better view since his broad chest was blocking it, he moved his ears slightly for her to show his interest in what was there in her expression and dull looking eyes. "Do you want something?" He asked as he moved his foot inward so it would be out of her way.

"I want to know why my mother died and what Touya did during those times for my mother if any at all," Scarlet explained simply as she remained a respectable distance from Jin. "That's all I want to know. I promise I won't bother you again once I know this and you won't have to bother with me."

The redheaded demon's chest shook with his laughter spasms at her response as Jin stared up at the white painted ceiling. "I do not leave my children even if that is their wish. Plain and simply put, you are stuck with me even once you die. I watch you just as Touya had and probably did in your darkest of times. As a matter of fact—," here Jin pushed himself up off of the bed to sit upright on the covers he was upon, "—I can sense his energy here. It's faint, but I can tell you he's been here before." His childlike gaze caught Scarlet's cold, hard look as he shrugged with a toothy grin. "You were just too boneheaded to listen to him."

Having to be called such an insensitive name to her face made the young woman boil over slightly. "How dare you!" Scarlet scolded angrily, clutching her fists upon the bedcovers. "You would be the same way if someone close to you passed away!"

Rolling his eyes playfully at Scarlet, Jin turned to face her with his legs crossed as he rested his arms upon his thighs. "Anyways, as for Touya, you are going to have a lot of sucking up to do when it comes to him. How long were you loyal?"

Turning away from his face, she snorted at him, "Sixteen agonizing years since the day of my birth."

Crossing his arms across his chest that held his crisscrossed white stripes of clothing, he cocked his head to the side to examine her expression. "And I am guessing when you turned sixteen or sometime that year, your mother passed away and you pushed him out of your life, blaming him for the death."

Scarlet was silent having to hear that and be reminded of that horrible year.

"Okay, question answered," Jin retorted, rubbing the back of his head a bit. His wild hair seeping through his fingers as he did so, he concentrated on the wandering spirits around him to get further answers. "And you're—twenty-four about to go on twenty-five in May…" Pausing for a moment, he recollected the date. "May second is your birthday so it's been almost nine years."

Hearing all of this information being handed to her, she couldn't help but stare at the demon with a slight twitch. "You freak me out so much when you do that…"

Something in her expression made Jin throw his head back and laugh as he closed his eyes from the overwhelming trembling his body caused from the laughter he expressed. Once he stopped, he grinned widely whilst he opened one eye as if to wink at her as Jin pointed back at the ceiling. "Well, since you won't tell to me, I might as well talk to your rather talkative roommates."

Scarlet refused to crack a smile at what was taking place as she let the demon find all of it as amusing as he did. She just wanted to find her answers from Touya and at that moment she was beginning to wish she had just summoned him to begin with. The demon was getting annoying, and he was starting to work on her nerves just as she did with his earlier.

The demon managed to get his laughter under control as he grinned still not wanting to lose the humor at the moment seeing as the one he was dealing with was so dreary. "Okay, as for Touya, I would say go to his temple every night when the fog has cover the town." Seeing the fear and having it waft his senses, Jin raised his hands to prevent her from freaking out on him. "Just listen, okay? I will guide your path for you. Just pray to me and I will come to you and guide you to his temple. It isn't far from here for I saw it when I was flying here so you should be just fine. Go to his temple and pray to him as well as bring him gifts. Say the scriptures of his temple out loud all night until you can't any longer and then sleep there."

"Sleep there?" Scarlet asked confused and out loud even if he asked her to remain silent till he was through. "How can I sleep there? I have go to work starting later today and then to my college classes at one. I cannot sleep there and not have my dad find out! He would really let me have it…"

Since he couldn't get her to stop, Jin simply pressed his finger to her lips to make her do so. "Just trust me, okay? I know your trust has been shot but I think you could do this for me for at least once." Removing his finger from her lips, he opened his hand and turned it slightly as he shrugged. "I mean, you are willing to do anything for answers of your mother's death, right?"

Scarlet rubbed her upper arm as she thought about all she would have to do to get those answers. It summed up to an incredible amount and it made her hesitate in answering. She would have to worship a demon and a demon that she had grown to despise since she was sixteen years old. Releasing a sigh of mixed emotions dwelling within her, Scarlet eventually nodded. "Yes, I am willing to do anything it takes."

Jin raised his hands quickly up to his chest to use almost as a buffer as he explained further. "Now, remember, you cannot get her back okay? I don't know if that is part of your schedule or not but you cannot get your mother back from where she resides now—do you understand?"

Hearing this, Scarlet looked at Jin through her stringy bi-colored hair. She was slightly intrigued by his statement for it indicated something. Moving forward on her hands, she tilted her head at the demon as if to listen to him better. "I know that."

"Good, I was just making sure you knew because demons can be teasers to human kind. If we were to come with a logo it would be 'every request comes with a price'," Jin clarified with another shrug as his sight shot back up at the ceiling for a second. "So, my advice, don't ask to hear from your mother. Hearing from her in the afterlife might sound like the next best thing to getting her back in the flesh, but the encounters will eat you up inside so don't ask him to do that."

Her heart leapt within her chest at knowing she could ask to hear her mother from beyond the grave. It was a ping of hope at that very moment within the dreary, densely lit room. But her hopeful smile turned into a saddened frown quickly when the demon's threat rang clearly within her mind shortly after. Huffing sourly at him, she narrowed her eyes at the wind demon to show her frustration. "Why do you things have to be demons?"

Jin turned on his pouting face mixed with annoyance as he eyed Scarlet almost scolding. "Why do you _things_ have to be inconsiderate humans?" He lashed in return as he pointed at her. "Scarlet Baker, you cannot always get what you want so learn to deal with that. If you don't want my help, I will leave you be as you are right now."

"My name—I guess you got that from the 'spirits', didn't you?" Scarlet asked, ignoring the topic at hand for the time being.

"Well, you certainly didn't tell it to me, did you?" Jin almost sneered as he crossed his arms across his broad chest. "Besides, your da was yelling at you when I was in the bathroom, and I don't have these pointy ears for nothing, you know." Wiggling them slightly for emphasis, he placed his hands back on his thighs to sit there slack. "Anyways, whenever you want to go just let me know. I can hear you miles away—all the way up to the very peek of the Black Wood Mountains."

Scarlet cocked her brow at Jin as she watched his ears move, catching their movement this time out of the others he wiggled them without her knowing. "Your ears are that good, eh?"

"Just let me know," Jin said in conclusion as he pushed himself off of the bedcovers. "Oh, and a word of advice," he continued, pausing at the windowsill. "Whatever you do, don't listen to those girls at the store you're working at. They may be right in knowing we're demons but their worship and incantations are something that they have spilled black blood all over. I've asked them countless times to stop with Hiei and Shishiwakamaru but it sadly never works. I'm beginning to believe they are completely shut off to us now with how dark their practices are."

Walking over towards the window, Scarlet brought her hand up to her chest as she watched him about to jump out her window though, for some reason, it worried her little. His advice given to her, she nodded once to let him know she understood though not entirely why it would matter if they were demons and the workers at the store were performing demon worship. "I promise I won't."

The wind demon said not another word as he quickly dove out the window. Catching his self in midair, he flew quickly towards the Black Wood Mountains where his temple resided at the base. Scarlet watched from the window he jumped from in awe that he actually could use the wind and was the wind guardian she was told of since birth. Her hair blowing about the currents of air he gathered, she watched through her strands as the thick fog engulfed him almost making the demon seem like a phantom in the night.

Pulling herself back inside from the cool night air, Scarlet looked at the many candles she lit as well as the spell book there upon her bed. _Was that real?_ She asked herself as she headed for the first candle sitting there upon her writing desk. _He just left and it feels like I either woke from a deep daydream or just hallucinated the whole ordeal_. Scarlet knew it was real as she stood there examining the candle within her hand.

Blowing out the dancing flame there upon the wick, she placed the pure white candle back down where it was beforehand. It was almost three or so in the morning and she knew she had better get some sleep if she was to wake up to help at the store she was indebted to. Eventually the lights went completely out within Scarlet's bedroom. Just like the other houses on Lavender Lane, it soon blended in with the heavy fog that had gathered about the night and was sweeping through the town. It looked like a ghost town there without a bit of life for the coming few hours.

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**_Author's Notes_**: Yeah, I thought I would be a smart butt and just tell people who don't know the exclamation point is always highest in command especially when someone is shouting. So even if someone is asking a question, exclamation point still beats question mark. Just thought I would clarify that for those who don't know and thought I was nuts to leave out so many question marks. I actually learned that in my college grammar class and stopped with the obsessive combination when learning the truth. xD;


	4. Chapter 4

**_Author's Notes_**: Drew a random image of Scarlet and Jin on my DA account so you can check that out here: http/www.deviantart/com/deviation/38856215/. (**replace /com with a dot com**).

artwork is another way I relieve stress and get my inspiration out. Though CGing is a pain in the butt. Yay, Silent Hill the movie is out on DVD and such though I will probably say the games are better. X3 I will have to take a peek at that. Pyramid Head is my bitch. XD

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The alarm went off early in the morning, waking Scarlet rudely from her slumber the coming day. Her hand slamming down on the snooze button, she got the horrible sound to stop before opening her eyes to the numbers there on her clock that stood close to her lamp. "Ten o'clock," she mumbled in misery before pushing herself up off of her bed to sit upright under her covers. Her eyes wearily looked about the room to spy some of the candles she had used in the night hours to summon the wind god. Remembering clearly what all had happened, Scarlet just rubbed her face with her hands to try and wake herself up before pulling the covers from her body.

She managed to stumble towards the bathroom, her hands gripping onto the sink to keep her weary body up. Her bi-colored hair all a mess, Scarlet reached for her brush that she kept there on the sink counter to rake the bristles of it through her tresses to straighten her hair back out. The hair tie that she used to keep her hair back in a ponytail there near her brush and toothbrush, she picked it up and tied back her hair as she thought about the day ahead.

She was nervous attending her new job since she wasn't too keen on working with others. Her home was always where she had been forced to stay aside from school and so she didn't interact with many people. "I guess I can only hope the place has decent people—workers and customers alike," Scarlet remarked to herself as she hunted through her medicine and makeup cabinet for her makeup she would need to put on.

As she worked on her makeup to cover up her blemishes and add a bit of color to her eyes and lips, the sound of a door opening and closing caught Scarlet by surprise. Jumping slightly from the sound, she looked at the wall to the left of her with a slight sigh before going back to tending to her eyeliner. "I guess dad is awake."

Chris Baker was always bad about slamming the doors around the house, even when he wasn't angry. If anything, it was a way for Scarlet to know where he was and what he was doing. She has been with her step-father for so long she came to the point where she could tell what slam was out of rage and which wasn't. It appeared to her that her father was just closing the door to his bedroom for the morning and was heading out to do whatever it was he did every dawn.

Scarlet headed back into her bedroom, after working on her makeup and hair, to look for something to wear for her first day at work. She didn't have many fancy things like she recalled Silvia wearing but that didn't stop her from throwing her sleeveless maroon top with cargo pants, white elbow length gloves, and black belt on the floor. Her maroon top had a fancy design upon it in white that looked like a Celtic phoenix. It was one of her favorite shirts though she rarely wore it seeing as she hardly ever went out lately. Moving some of her cut bangs out of her face that were parted down the middle, Scarlet hunted the floor desperately. "Where are my damn boots?" She wondered as she lied down on her chest to check under her bed. Her hand rising up her comforter that draped down her bed, she eventually spotted her brown boots there resting in the darkness under her bed. "Ah, there they are."

Pulling out her boots, Scarlet placed them on her bed within sight as she got her clothing on quickly. She wanted to get ready and hurry to her job without confronting her father on where she would be heading. While her father didn't really seem to disagree on the fact she had a job now, he didn't know that she wouldn't be attending her college classes anymore seeing as the job would be taking the place of it. College wasn't a priority for Scarlet at the moment seeing as her lethargic attitude wouldn't let her handle anything dealing with studying for tests and working on homework. If her father was aware that her college would suffer, Scarlet knew she would be punished for it.

Eventually she was ready as she stood there in the clothes that she felt would be her best for the job. While double checking in the mirror, her sight couldn't help but be drawn to her left hand where she burned the wind design within it. She had bandaged her hand when the demon had left during the night and Scarlet couldn't help but recall the encounter once more that still seemed so surreal. Her fingers moved slightly as she made a fist regardless of the pain that still stung her as she did so. She hissed in displeasure as she reopened her hand to look at her bandaged palm once more to remember the promise she made.

"I promised him I would suffer through the scriptures once more for the sake of asking about my mother," she mumbled as her eyes met with her reflection there on her dirty mirror. "I can only pray this one time that I can get the answers I seek…Please don't let me down, Jin the Wind God," Scarlet pleaded as she brought her burnt hand to her chest.

--

The traffic lights changed regardless of the fact that there was hardly any traffic to tend to out there on the foggy streets. Scarlet had never seen it that foggy before seeing as she mostly slept through the morning hours. Some of the houses and shopping stores came into view as she walked towards her destination there in the lonely streets. Even now at 10:30, the entire town seemed dead though a few bodies could just be seen there in the thick mist making their way to their jobs or to school. It made her feel uncomfortable only able to hear the people walking on the pavement as she headed for Willard Drive where the Black Magic Store rested as quickly as possible.

The store's front door soon within sight, Scarlet hesitantly grabbed onto the handle and opened it to be let inside regardless of the sign that said they were closed. She had managed to make it before eleven hit and was relieved to be on time. Peeking inside for a moment, she looked for Silvia, believing the woman to at least be at the counter only to find an opened newspaper that was left on the obituaries. Her flesh crawled at the mere sight of such a thing as she looked down each isle for a worker at the store.

"Hello?" She called wondering who was there as she started to head for the back room where Silvia was last time. Just as her hand was about to grace the curtain, a voice came from behind her as well as the bell to indicate that someone had entered the store. Turning around quickly, Scarlet saw a young woman, probably in her early twenties as well, with wavy brunette hair that touched the woman's shoulders and with a dark set of sapphire eyes. Her shirt a tight, tucked in white sleeveless shirt that showed off her rather large bust to any who dared look and she wore tight jeans that flared at the bottom to cover her sandals that were thin in heel and quite decorative with a bit of designs placed upon them.

"Oh," the woman began as she continued onward into the store, "I guess you are the new hired help Silvia told me about." She sashayed over towards Scarlet with an extended hand to her with a bit of a smile on her face. "Hi, I am Blossom Owen and I work the shelves and merchandise and all that lovely stuff. You are?"

Scarlet gazed down at Blossom's hand she was extending, taking it with her right hand. "I am Scarlet Baker." Noting the confused look on Blossom's face when she took her extended left hand with her right, Scarlet showed her the injured left hand she couldn't use too well at the moment. "Sorry, my hand is burned. I cannot do much with it."

"Well, you better be well enough to help me put everything up," Blossom explained as she headed into the back behind the curtain Scarlet was about to go into. She merely disappeared for a moment to resurface with a few boxes that she placed at Scarlet's feet that were of different sizes. "We got new items in so I need you to take these boxes filled with spell books and put them on the shelf in alphabetical order over there."

Scarlet followed Blossom's finger pointed over at the third isle from the door as she nodded to acknowledge she heard her instructions. "Alright," she replied softly as she bent down to pick up the boxes, putting the smallest one on top.

Blossom picked up the rest of the boxes and headed for the last isle to start putting things up that needed to be restocked as she tried to get acquainted with the new employee. "So, where do you live?"

"I live on Lavender Lane," Scarlet answered as she opened the boxes to pull out the spell books so she could put on the shelf. "House number 355 right down that road. What about you?"

"I live on Rosewood Boulevard so I am knee deep in the Misty Woodlands. The fog has been awful lately, though I hear they plan on fixing that as well as the horrible crops farmers have been getting these past few months," Blossom explained as she put up some of the figurines they had got in of the gods. Rosewood Road began to the right of the Earth Temple so it was hidden within the forested area of Wind Knoll. It was like a high class farming area that was well known for its crops it would produce for grocery stores. However, the weather had been awfully dry and so things were not going well. Some blamed the weather while others pointed to religion for answers. "So, what exactly is your religion? What demon do you worship?"

Having to be reminded that the creatures she had referred to as Gods all this time were demons once more made Scarlet halt in her production as her fingers tapped upon the shelf for a bit to show her thought in her answer. "I—I don't really worship…anyone. I used to worship Touya the Ice God but I stopped when my mother passed away near my sixteenth birthday."

Blossom listened to Scarlet as she put up another silver statue of Shishi the Demon of Death on the shelf with all the other statues of him. "Oh, I am sorry to hear that. I praise Yoko Kurama the Demon of Earth." Blossom continued putting up the next set of statues that were diminutive in size compared to the twelve inches wondering what to ask next as she was nearly finished with her task. "Oh yeah, I meant to tell you," She began as she ran her fingers through her hair, "Silvia went out to get breakfast for everyone so she won't be here till close to 11:30."

"Everyone?" Scarlet asked as she put up the last book on the shelf.

"Yes, everyone," Blossom answered as she picked up her boxes to move into the back room once she finished as well. "Are you through with your boxes?"

Scarlet nodded as she handed the boxes over to Blossom, cupping her elbows in her palms gently. "How is Silvia buying breakfast for everyone?"

"She has the money," Blossom expressed with a sigh as she moved the boxes out of their way. "It may not seem like it, but we get enough business to survive and pay those who work here $7.50 an hour. In the mean time we'll work the counter. Or rather, I'll work the counter and you can watch and learn."

"Thanks," Scarlet remarked as she hopped towards the counter with Blossom in front of her, leading the way. "This is my first job so I don't know how everything really works."

The door up front soon opened once again before Blossom could go and change the sign to open. Silvia managed to open the door with a couple of bags from the local coffee store just down the street there in her hands and mouth. Blossom helped Silvia through the door as she held it open for her so she could flip the sign for the morning to 'open'. The raven haired Silvia nodded to Blossom as thanks seeing as she had her mouth full with a bag she had a firm grip on with her teeth. Silvia handed Blossom a cup of coffee as well as a little bag with the coffee shop's logo upon it.

"There is your decaf coffee with a bagel and cream cheese," Silvia said once she removed the bag that she had hanging from her mouth. Making her way over to the counter, she put down two more coffees and small to-go bags. "And I got you a latté with whip cream with a bagel and cream cheese seeing as I don't know what the hell you like," Silvia continued as she pushed the items gently towards Scarlet as she took her own bag. "And this one is for me—a house blend decaf with a blueberry muffin."

Scarlet took the items she was offered as she hid a yawn behind the hand that was bandaged. "Thank you," she said politely as she got out her bagel so she could eat it for breakfast. "It feels like years since I have seen anything dealing with breakfast."

"How long do you sleep normally?" Silvia asked with her mouth partially full thanks to the muffin she took a bite out of. As she picked at her food, her eyes wandered across the bandaged hand of Scarlet. A smirk of wonder crept across her face as she listened to the new employee with her elbows upon the counter.

"I sleep into the early afternoon," Scarlet answered as she sipped a bit of her hot latté.

Silvia took the top off of her coffee to-go and started to stir it up a bit as she continued to eye the injured hand on Scarlet curiously. "So, how did that spell turn out for you?"

Looking over at Silvia, Scarlet could see she was looking at her injured hand. At that moment, Scarlet wanted to hide her hand in her pocket but she knew now it would do little good. Her shame was right there in front of the two demon worshippers to see and right after she told them what she thought about the whole ordeal. Looking over at Blossom who seemed equally interested raised her thin brows as if to egg the truth out of her with the look in her eyes. "Well," Scarlet began with a slight sigh, "I did try the summon spell…"

"And did it work?" Blossom asked this time as she sipped her coffee.

Scarlet wasn't sure what to say. She wondered if it was okay to tell them that he came to her. Jin the Wind Demon didn't exactly like those who worked at that store, but she couldn't see what harm it would do at that moment. "Yes, it did…he came to me and he's going to help me with my problems."

"And did you see that he was a demon?" Silvia inquired as she finished off her muffin.

Scarlet sighed, hating to admit that she was wrong as she shook her head from side to side. "Yes, yes, yes—I saw that he was a demon and he told me, alright? I was always taught they were gods. I didn't know what they were."

"That's the tricky thing about any kind of religion," Silvia remarked as she worked on her coffee. "It's like playing telephone for a thousand years—fact and fiction get intertwined and you can't tell what is fact and what is fiction." Spying the newspaper she had out on the counter and was reading previously, she scooped it up in her hands and turned the page to continue reading. "I am surprised it worked for you though with you being a nonbeliever and a beginner at that."

Sitting down on one of the stools behind the counter, she looked between the girls confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I have worked on the summoning spell for years and it only worked once for me," Silvia explained. "I was working on summoning Shishiwakamaru but he only appeared once to me two years ago." The newspaper's pages created the only noise at the time as Silvia continued to eye it interestingly while speaking to the two workers. "He told me I was doing something wrong in my practices but I am not sure what seeing as he never clarified."

"What could you have done wrong?" Blossom asked as she moved her hair over her shoulder. "They're demons. Demons crave blood from humans and need the sinned and sinners to be sacrificed for their disruptive ways."

"Human blood?" Scarlet wondered softly to herself as she recalled the knife Silvia had in her possession the day she came in for candles. "Do you guys cut yourself for the demons?"

Both of the girls looked at the astounded sounding Scarlet. They shifted their gaze over to one another as if to laugh sarcastically at her tone with their shared expression. "Is that a problem?" Blossom asked from over the counter where she was eating her breakfast so she could get ready for customers soon.

Taking another sip from her coffee, Silvia shifted herself upon the counter top so she could look at Scarlet as well as sit down. "We only take a bit of our blood and drink it in a goblet of wine in their honor. We don't cut our arm in pieces. Demons love human blood and it's how some survive. Sometimes we shed it on their temple steps. Didn't you know that?"

Scarlet went silent as she eyed the coffee resting in her hands. She felt terribly uncomfortable at that moment and confused about many things dealing with the beliefs she was dwindling in and out of. _Man, this is going to be a long day_, Scarlet thought as she tried to hide her embarrassment of the moment in her morning pick-me-up.

--

The fog eventually lifted throughout the coming hours, leaving traffic outside and in to start flowing a bit better. During the lunch hours, Silvia maintained the counter while continuing to read magazines and Blossom went in the back behind the curtain tending to something. Scarlet never bothered asking what it was about as she checked the shelves to make sure everything was in place that she had to put back up. As she headed back up to the front so she could sit down and wait on a customer, Silvia looked at her watch there upon her wrist and closed the magazine she was reading.

"I am going to take my break," Silvia yawned as she got up from the back counter with her coffee she had yet to finish. "You take on the job of cashier and I'll be back in fifteen. If you have a problem, shout for Blossom."

"O—okay," Scarlet stammered as she watched Silvia head off into the back where Blossom was.

As soon as Scarlet made it behind the counter, the front door opened and a few more customers came in. Most of the people who came to the store came for the history books, candles, and statues as they didn't believe in the magic spells the girls were selling. Every once in awhile someone would purchase one or question them, but very rarely were they bought. It made her slightly nervous to have a few customers within the store, but Scarlet managed a smile to them as she hunted for something to read in the stack of magazines Silvia had stacked back there. Her hands flipping through the pile, she eventually came across a decent magazine that had a few girly topics within it that Scarlet thought she would read for kicks since she always laughed at that preppy girl stuff.

Scarlet's grayish, green eyes darted about the words as she heard the door open once more. She didn't bother looking at who had entered as she continued to flip the pages of the magazine there sprawled out on the counter. The hands of whoever it was soon rested there on the glass counter top right in front of Scarlet making her look up at the looming shadow soon cast over her in curiosity. Jumping out of her chair and nearly falling to the floor, she grabbed onto her shirt tightly where her heart was beating wildly. "Good—God, you fucking scared me!" She hissed in a whisper so nobody would hear her.

Jin leaned forward on his hands as he looked at her a little closer with a soft laugh before hopping up to sit on the other side of the counter. "You're awfully jumpy today, aren't you?" The redheaded demon looked out at the store he had seen way too many times before with a subtle laugh in his throat. "So, this is where you got that book."

Scarlet was starting to get irritated as she made sure nobody was watching her while she glared at the wind demon. "What are you doing here? Get out of here!"

"Calm down, girlie, I am not here to bug you," Jin chuckled as he watched those within the store nearby. "I am keeping my eye on someone." Sliding off of the counter, Jin walked through the store without any problems at all as he honed in on a young teen girl that was probably sixteen or so and had short dark russet hair with a bit of her bangs dyed blue and held brown eyes.

Scarlet could just see the two from where she was watching from behind the counter. Curious as to what he was doing at the store, she kept a close watch on the two since she still wasn't too keen on the knowledge of a demon being nearby even if he offered to help her with details of her deceased mother. She watched as the young teen looked right up at Jin without a problem and pointed to something there on the counter that must have caught her eye. _She can see him?_ Scarlet wondered to herself.

Jin looked down at the teenager with a soft smile on his face. "Yes," Scarlet heard the demon say, "that looks like me, doesn't it?"

"Should I take this one?" She asked the wind demon as she held onto one of the twelve inch statues in her hand.

"I don't see why not," Jin responded as he stretched upward to show he was slightly tired. "The candles you'll want are back here too I believe." His hand pressing to the young girl's back, he pointed in the back of the store before heading over there with the human he was intent on walking around with.

Scarlet remained confused there behind the counter but didn't say a thing as one of the customers plopped three of the history books and four different sets of candles there on the counter, catching her attention. "Will that be all?" Scarlet asked shyly as she started to punch in the appropriate numbers for the items placed before her. The woman answered with a yes but Scarlet didn't pay it much attention as she kept a watchful eye on Jin and the young female while she rang up the total of the items there before her. "Your total is thirty five dollars and fifty cents," Scarlet replied once more.

The wind demon and the girl he was following around soon made their way up towards the counter, right behind the woman that was before them. Scarlet saw them both as she accepted the money handed to her to put into the cash register as she could only pray the crazy wind demon wouldn't do something stupid to make her lose her job. The demon did nothing but stand there though the woman in front could feel a bit of his presents with the wind being awfully abnormal in the store.

"Is something wrong?" Scarlet asked the woman before her as she seemed to turn her caller to the air around her.

"The air in here seemed to get a bit colder," she answered as she rubbed her bare arms before taking her items in the bag. "Did someone turn the A/C on?"

"No, I don't think they did," Scarlet said as she glared at Jin who was intentionally releasing a bit of the wind powers he had in the store. "But I will be sure to check that out so it won't be so chilly in here. Thanks and come again."

Everyone at the counter watched as the woman left the store. Jin couldn't help but grin ear to ear as he chuckled in the back of his throat. Scarlet managed to catch it there on his face as she frowned at him not feeling embarrassed that she would be speaking to him now seeing as the girl could already see and hear him.

"You could at least be on your best behavior when you're in a store, Jin the Wind Demon!" Scarlet scolded in a low whisper as she took the items that the teenager held and wanted to buy.

"Oh, you humans are no fun," Jin retorted with glee as he intertwined his fingers behind his fiery red hair.

"You see him too," the girl interrupted as she looked at Scarlet behind the counter.

Scarlet looked down at the nameless teen with a cock of her brow.

"I see him almost every day," she remarked eerily as she watched the cash register for her total. "He comes to my house quite often and he follows me around some times." Her brown eyes met with Scarlet's as she fidgeted with the money there in her hands. "I'd rather he be here beside me then the others I see outside my window."

The chills that ran up and down Scarlet's spine prevented her from asking what the girl meant as she got the total to come up. Wondering what the girl meant with her expression, Scarlet looked up at Jin who seemed concerned for once and he dared not say a word to the look the frightened Scarlet was giving him. "Your total is twenty five dollars and ninety-five cents," she mumbled in a bit of subtle shock as she opened her hand for the money she expected to receive.

The teenager handed over the right amount as she grabbed her bags that Scarlet gave her. "Thank you," she responded as she headed for the door, leaving Jin to stand there at the counter still.

Jin watched the girl leave the store as he remained there before Scarlet for a moment. His indigo eyes shifted to the stunned woman who was pointing towards the door wondering who the girl was with her body language. The demon didn't answer her. He just stood there with a goofy grin that soon replaced his serious frown upon his features. "I guess I will see you later tonight if you ever decide to call me."

She didn't know what to say to the wind demon as he left the store with the girl he had come in to follow. Scarlet tapped her fingers upon the counter top in thought before feeling an uncontrollable shiver rake over her body. "Man, that girl gave me the creeps. I wonder what she was talking about," Scarlet muttered to herself as she went back to her magazine.

--

Around five in the afternoon, three more girls entered the Black Magic Store, catching Silvia's attention up front. Welcoming the three with a smile, she banged her palms on the counter to get Blossom and Scarlet's attention. "Hey, girls," Silvia called to Blossom in the back of the store and Scarlet situating some of the merchandise on the shelves once more. "Nightshift is here, so get organized to head out."

Scarlet's head shot up from where she was looking down at some of the spell books she had to organize. Pulling her attention from the items before her, she headed up front to see some of the girls that came in to take their place.

Silvia jumped over the counter and slid off to the other side to introduce everyone. "Hey, girls, this is the new worker who is in debt to us, Scarlet Baker. Scarlet, this is Lydia Samson, Maria Ferris, and Patricia Blankly."

Scarlet looked to the girls and offered them a smile. Lydia Samson looked like she was probably in her mid thirties somewhere and had board straight strawberry blond hair that she saw fit to braid down her back while wearing a black bandana upon her head. Her skin was slightly tanned and she had dark ivy green eyes. Her shirt was black with large white words on them in some sort of gibberish that almost looked like symbols. She wore shorts that were of normal length and she had white tennis shoes on.

Maria Ferris looked to be somewhere from her late teens to her early twenties and had shoulder length, curly red hair with a soft toned blue eyes. She had a tucked in blood red shirt with torn jeans that flowed over her brown sandals. She was fair skinned and her nails were tipped red and awfully long.

Patricia Blankly had obviously dyed pink hair that was layered down to her mid back with reddish brown eyes. She looked about the same age range as Maria and had her nose pierced and wore bold makeup for her eyes and lips. She had a black tank top with a long sleeve fishnet like over shirt and wore baggy, dark colored jeans that covered her black boots.

Everyone exchanged hellos and handshakes before Silvia grabbed onto Scarlet's right wrist and Blossom's and hauled them towards the door rather quickly. "Alright, already, let's get going. I have seen this place for long enough," she joked as she turned towards those left in the store. "I'll see you guys tomorrow and be sure to lock up when you're through."

"See you guys," Maria called with a simple wave of her hand as she hopped behind the counter to take Silvia's place.

As soon as the trio was out on the road, Scarlet couldn't help but stretch and yawn to show how weary she was from having to get up early in the morning. Blossom pulled out a cigarette she had been keeping handy as well as her lighter to light it. Blowing a cloud of smoke upward out of everyone's face, she scratched her cheek with her thumbnail while looking to Silvia.

"So, what do you plan on doing tonight, Silvia?" Blossom asked as she had her arms half crossed below her bust.

"I was going to go to head to Charlie's Bar -n- Grill to get semi-wasted," Silvia joked as she waved a bit of the smoke Blossom was blowing at her now out of her face.

"Only 'semi'?" Blossom scoffed, knowing that Silvia was the type to hit the bottle a lot at moments. "No wonder the demons don't come to you, you're never pure enough."

Gently punching the perky girl in the shoulder, Silvia laughed at her with a shake of her raven locks that tumbled over her shoulders. "Shut up, bitch. What about you? Aren't you supposed to be healthy for the dreaded time in June?"

"Please," Blossom retorted with a roll of her eyes at the thought of it. "With what I am cursed with, I might as well smoke two at one time. It would lessen my sentence."

Scarlet was unaware of what was being said between the two girls as she merely found a time to interrupt their talking. "Well, I guess I will see you two later tomorrow if that is when you want me back in. Right now I should head home I guess."

Silvia turned to Scarlet, who was about to leave, at the same time Blossom did. Not able to hide her smirk that crept across her face any longer, the raven haired woman nodded at the nervous Scarlet. "So, what do you plan on doing tonight?"

Stopping in her tracks, Scarlet turned around to look at the two curious girls. "Nothing special. I am a writer so I go home and just belt out poems and stories. It's nothing wonderful."

"You mean to tell me you never really go out and do anything?" Blossom felt need to ask as she shifted her balance onto one side of her body, leaning to her right a bit.

She felt like she was being criticized as Scarlet stood there looking slightly down at her feet. "Ever since—my mom died, I had no reason or motivation to go out and do anything." Her boots she wore kicked lightly at pebbles there on the concrete she stood on at having to think on her mother once more that day.

"If you want," Silvia began, "you can come to Charlie's Bar -n- Grill with me tonight. I don't care and it would give me a designated walker to my house if anything."

"Yeah," Blossom chimed in with a smirk, "last time I found her passed out on the park bench near my street." Her remarked earned her another slap to the arm thanks to Silvia wishing Blossom would be quiet. But Blossom couldn't help but throw her head back a laugh a bit at having to remember the morning.

"No, I don't think I will tonight, but maybe some other time," Scarlet answered as she backed up a bit. She still had in mind to call the wind demon she spied within the store for she was still desperate for answers about her mother. Turning her back to the two girls, she waved over her shoulder as she hurried off towards her house. "See you tomorrow." Hurrying as quickly as she could towards her road, Scarlet feared looking back over her shoulder. While she may have enjoyed the two as company compared to the company she got everyday, there was something about them both that really frightened her.

------------------------------------------------------

When the clock struck midnight, Scarlet couldn't help but stare out her window in thought as the candles were lit to keep light in her room. She had come to like the candles over her regular lamps now and she needed them anyways to call the demon back to her. It was a hard decision for her to make, however, at that moment as she looked from the window to the 'spell' book on her bed. Biting at her nails a bit, Scarlet finally went to the bed and opened up the book back to the summoning spell that she felt would draw the wind demon back to her.

"He said to just pray to him," Scarlet said to herself nervously as she shifted through the pages to look for a prayer that might be reasonable. Looking through the many pages there before her, she couldn't come upon any she would feel comfortable saying as she grabbed onto the wind pendent she wore. _Please_, she begged within her mind, _just come guide me to Touya's temple…I need to see him now._

The wind about Lavender Lane started to blow gently about the streets and buildings nearby making the curtains about Scarlet's windows toss about as the wind picked up. When the wind got a bit too harsh for her to handle and she feared the candles being blown over to start a fire, Scarlet quickly hurried over to her cracked window to close it. With the window soon closed and locked, Scarlet let out a brief sigh as she moved some of her hair out of her face that the wind felt need to caress. Getting to her feet once more, she turned around to go back to her book only to jump back with a brief yelp of surprise.

"Did you need me?" Jin asked, standing there with his arms slightly open before placing them on his hips.

"How the hell did you get in here without me seeing you?" Scarlet asked almost demandingly as she placed her hand back on her rapidly beating heart.

"Demons are faster than you realize," Jin answered as he scratched the back of his head for a moment. "So, do you want me to take you to Touya's temple?"

Scarlet sat down on her bedside as she managed a nod. She felt that her knees would buckle if she didn't with so many emotions now racing through her at having to tend to another demon she had neglected since her sixteenth birthday.

"Alright," Jin sighed as he nodded at one of the candles. "Take one of the candles and bring it with you. You'll need some sort of light when you're in that temple."

Getting off of her bed quickly, Scarlet grabbed onto a candle that she felt would suffice for the walk over to the temple in the foggy night. Turning towards the towering demon, she nodded to him a few times. "Alright—I am ready to go now."

Jin used his wind powers to spread the fog out of their way while Scarlet shielded the candle from his demonic wind and used it as a source of light for them both. As she continued down the silent street with the demon by her side, she couldn't shake the weird feeling she got with that girl she remembered Jin following around. Her eyes gazing up at the tall demon that was staring straight ahead seriously, she wondered what to say to him about it to ease her mind in some way.

"So that girl you were with—who is she?" Scarlet boldly asked.

"You mean Teresa?" Jin wondered in return as he looked down at Scarlet for a moment. "Well…" His normal smile he held turned back into a serious frown of worry as he thought about the young teen he had been walking around with all day and for the past few months. "Teresa has cancer and I have been following her around for the last couple of months that her condition worsened. I am waiting for her to be bedridden and waiting for her to—die so then I can take her."

"What!" Scarlet exclaimed softly so as not to wake anyone. "What about her family? Haven't they taken her to get treatment?"

"Wind Knoll isn't exactly the best place to live when it comes to ailments," Jin explained with a sigh. "You should know that better than anyone. All anyone can do is pray for health and all we can do is try and help best we can when the nurses and doctors fail."

Scarlet was aware that the hospitals at Wind Knoll were horrible. Their knowledge on illnesses and cures was limited due to the town being completely shut off to other places that could share such practices with those at Wind Knoll's health center. It was a reason her mother could only wait to die when she got sick and it made Scarlet wish she lived somewhere else. "What about the things she mentioned seeing? What was all that about?"

"It's best not to talk about that," Jin spoke up quickly as he continued onward, almost rushing ahead of her.

"But—."

"I said don't talk about it!" Jin nearly growled as he snapped his head in Scarlet's direction.

Having to see him so angry made her shrink back at the appearance of his fangs and having to hear him growl. Her body trembled and her knees threatened to give out on her as she watched the demon closely. When he pulled away from her all she could do was watch him walk ahead of her as she stayed closely behind him. _What got into him…?_ She wondered as she continued towards Touya's temple.


	5. Chapter 5

The doors to the Ice Temple opened steadily to allow some of the moonlight to creep inside of the candle lit temple. The wind demon kept the door open to allow Scarlet on inside with the candle she had sheltered from the wind the demon was letting out. The first room within the temple had several candles of different size lit and shined brightly with a soft blue hue. Pillows were lined perfectly on either side of the carpet that led down to the altar where the statue of the ice demon was situated.

Scarlet walked down the blue carpet underneath her feet steadily taking in the sight of the temple she had not seen the interior of in years. Gazing upward at the arched ceiling that held more of the blue tinted light, she couldn't help but feel a bit dizzy with the height of the ceiling. "It's been so long since I have been here," Scarlet whispered as she continued to keep up with the redheaded demon. "I feel incredibly uncomfortable…"

Hearing her express her discomfort, Jin looked over his shoulder for a moment at Scarlet. "Don't be such. If you are doubtful or fearful, he will not come to you."

Shielding the candle within her hands still, Scarlet said not a word as she walked onward towards the statue that stood within a large group of candles to show off the contours of the figurine. It was a rather large statue of the ice demon of him looking as though he were blowing a kiss to those that stood before him with long, tied back hair. It was constructed of white marble and a bit of it was rather worn thanks to the years it had endured.

Jin made his way up to the sculpture to examine it with a bit of a smirk as he did so. "Apparently they over exaggerated Touya as well," he chuckled while looking for the scriptures that were normally there for people to read anytime they wanted within the temple.

"Over exaggerated?" Scarlet wondered as she watched the demon hunt through the books lined before the foot of the statue. "Does he have horns too like you?"

"Not quite," Jin answered as he skimmed a few pages of the book in his hands. "But I can tell you his hair isn't that long and he's not as tall as me as people say. He barely even comes up to my chest."

Looking back up at the towering statue that bathed within the blue light, she couldn't help but scoff a bit. "Wonderful—I've been worshipping a midget all my life."

Hearing her remark, Jin smacked Scarlet in the back of the head with the book he held before offering it to her as she rubbed the back of her now slightly aching head. "Be respectful," he demanded with a bit of a hidden laugh himself. "And take this." Jin handed Scarlet the book he had recently smacked her with that had a dark blue leather cover and had a light blue Celtic type snowflake design. "This is what I want you to read for the night."

Scarlet took the book that was handed to her so as to look over the cover. "I remember this book. My mother had one just like it and would read from it daily even when she was sick in bed."

"She should have if she worshipped Touya," Jin expressed while running his fingers through his wild hair. "That's his demonic bible if you want to call it that."

"You want me to read all of this until I fall asleep?" Scarlet asked as she flipped through the many pages set before her.

"I want you to read it aloud until you become too tired to think and then I want you to sleep here, yes," the wind demon explained once more as he headed back down the walkway before him. "If you don't do this, you will not hear about your mother."

Scarlet kept the book within her arms as she watched the demon heading for the exit of the temple. The doors of the temple opened to allow the wind demon out as the wind he controlled swiftly made its way throughout the Ice Temple. Bringing up her arms at the strong wind that engulfed the place of worship, Scarlet cried out over the powerful currents best she could. "Wait!" She exclaimed only to hear the large double doors slam shut for the night, leaving her alone.

Moistening her lower lip, Scarlet eyed the many blazing candles before turning to gaze up at the statue of Touya the Ice 'God'. She hadn't seen the statue in years and to be in the one place she had denounced when she was sixteen still made her feel uneasy. Her fingers gripped onto the book within her hands as Scarlet made her way down to the pillow that was resting before her. Opening to the first page, she cleared her throat as she attempted to read aloud to nobody but herself and who dared listen. "Touya the Ice God was said to be one of the few celestial beings found centuries ago within the fog of Wind Knoll. His temple was built within the south area of the town and took years to complete. It is said his soul resides within the very statue that was resurrected within his honor."

Scarlet continued to read aloud, her words bouncing off the walls and seeming to surround her. The reading went on for hours within the lit temple, making the young woman become a bit drowsy over the time she spent reading and parching her throat. As the clock tower struck the coming hour, Scarlet couldn't help but release a weary yawn while stretching. To her knowledge, it was at least four in the morning and the hours she spent reading and reciting the prayers were taking their toll.

The book closed as Scarlet stretched upward with a slight yawn. "Well, I guess I better sleep here…somewhere," she murmured to herself before getting off of her knees to look in the rooms for a place to stay.

Her bare feet tapped across the cold, marble flooring as she made her way into the room situated on the right of the altar. As she parted the flowing curtains that were dipped in a blackish, blue tone with white Celtic embroidery, she headed into the medium sized circular room that held a dinning table in the center and a few beds around the wall of the room resting quite closely together. On certain days where there was a celebration in honor of the 'gods', the people would praise and worship at the temple until the day ended. Due to the fog being horrible at night, nobody could afford to go outside unless they wanted to get lost within their own town and so there were rooms set up within each temple for the worshippers to use until sunrise.

One of the many beds catching Scarlet's attention, the young woman sat upon the side of it as she undressed herself within the privacy of the temple walls. Scarlet didn't bring with her something to change into when it dealt with sleeping wear, so it forced her to strip down to nothing but her natural form. Tossing her clothes upon the marble flooring beneath her, Scarlet situated the covers over her body to get settled for the night. Lying upon her back, she couldn't help but look up at the ceiling that glistened in the blue candlelight that danced about the room. The light cast shadows upon the wall that made Scarlet feel unnerved as well as the sounds her ears would pick up that almost sounded like moaning.

"This place…it feels like it is alive," she whispered to herself while turning on her side to face the wall nearby. Scarlet couldn't help but embrace her shivering body under the covers as she attempted to close her eyes for the night.

--

The images that flooded Scarlet's mind made her toss and turn in her sleep as she could see herself walking steadily down a long, dark corridor. The pictures she could vaguely see within her minds eye, resting there upon the hall, sent shivers up her spine as she continued walking down the hallway that seemed to go on forever with a door resting at the very end of the hallway. White curtains flowed from windows, almost in slow motion from time to time as did her own actions every once in awhile.

Stopping in the middle of the hallway, Scarlet looked over her shoulder as she felt like something was following her from the distorted creaking and high pitched moans she could hear within the engulfing darkness that swallowed up the opposite end of the long corridor. As her eyes continued to look about the dreary atmosphere, a door seemed to just appear there to her right in a cloud of fog.

Her hand grabbing upon the doorknob, Scarlet let herself inside of what appeared to be a bathroom of some kind that looked almost like hers except a little bigger. The sound of metal rocking against metal caught her attention as she looked up at a hook and chain hanging from the top railing of the shower where the curtain normally hung. The sight of it startled Scarlet but thought nothing of it as she turned to the mirror that was hanging there above the sink.

The mirror was a bit fogged up, making it difficult for Scarlet to see her own reflection within it. Her palm touching the fogged up mirror, she tried to wipe it away so she could see her own reflection. Once she was able to see herself there in the mirror, she studied herself for a moment before hearing a low groaning sound that seemed awfully close to her ear. Her fear filled eyes looked over her shoulder to see nothing there but the door she had entered through and the shower and tub to her left. Still seeing that nothing was there didn't put Scarlet at ease. She still felt watched within that dark room somehow as she went back to gazing within the mirror.

As Scarlet tried to turn on the water so she could wash her face, the water only splashed within the sink for a moment before stopping completely. Confused, she continued to work with the cold and hot marked handles only to get nothing to surface for awhile until finally the water came out only to be crimson red in color. Her hands were under the red liquid when it surfaced, marking them both in the sticky substance. Pulling them back steadily from under the sink faucet, Scarlet began to tremble uncontrollably realizing what it was.

"**_Blood?"_** She wondered aloud before shaking her hands like crazy to try and get it off. Sickened by the sight of it, she hushed her screams as she wiped the blood on her body in attempts to get it off of her hands. But as she was doing so, the sink overflowed in no time at all and the blood started to drip down to the floor below and swirl about in the cracks of the tile beneath her feet as if to trap her where she stood.

Panic-stricken, Scarlet's breathes became labored as she stood there in the bathroom looking all around her until the sound of the chain rattling not too far away caught her attention once more. Looking up at the hook that hung there she was horrified at the sight of a beating, human heart hanging there now with the lungs as well just adding to the blood accumulating there upon the floor. Frightening, deep moaning sounds and high pitched screeches caused Scarlet to run as quickly as she could for the door she had entered through as she hurried back out into the corridor she was once within.

The fear that had engulfed her caused Scarlet to tumble over to the opposite wall once she closed the bathroom door behind her. Shaking in horror, she looked over towards the end of the hallway she was within to see a white woman in a pure white gown with raven hair dancing upon the ceiling like it was the floor to her. Her figure reminded Scarlet of an hourglass and her swaying almost hypnotized the terrified woman who sat there upon the floor. The more she watched the unnamed white woman dancing upside down, the less Scarlet realized that she appeared to be coming closer to where Scarlet was sitting in tears. Eventually the woman disappeared, leaving the horrified Scarlet to wonder where the white maiden went as she rubbed her tears from her eyes so she could see better. As she was doing so, a cold and clammy hand grabbed onto her forearm causing Scarlet to look over at who was responsible.

The woman she had seen dancing had a firm hold on her hand and the white dress was no longer as pure and white as it had appeared from a distance. It was dingy, torn, and marred in blood and soot. Her skin also was no longer as fair and looked almost gray color and had dark and brown spots upon them. Her raven hair that seemed to blend in with the darkness that was crawling closer from the back, parted up front to show her pure black eyes that were so void of life, it horrified Scarlet into a loud scream that was muffled by the darkness that eventually swallowed the two women up.

--

The covers flew off of Scarlet as she inhaled sharply once she woke up in her own bedroom early in the morning from the nightmare. Her palm meeting with her sweaty forehead, she looked about the candlelit bedroom that belonged to her in confusion as she wondered how she got back home from the temple. Wiping her tear stained cheeks with her hands, she looked over at her clock to check on what time it was since it felt like she had been asleep forever. The red numbers showed that it was fifteen minutes after nine from where Scarlet sat up in bed.

Running her fingers through her messy, streaked hair, she pushed the covers off of her further so she could get to her feet. "I guess I might as well get ready for work. If I go back to sleep now, I will sleep in," Scarlet mumbled as she made it towards her bathroom wearily.

Her hands resting upon the sink, Scarlet couldn't help but be reminded of the awful dream she endured during the night. Shaking her head a bit to try and get rid of the images, she grabbed onto her brush to use it to rake through her hair. It was difficult to try and not think on the horrifying dream as she continued to get ready for the day, but Scarlet put up with the flashing images while she got ready in her bathroom.

When Scarlet was fully dressed for her job, she headed down the stairs to get to the front door only to be stopped by her father who was reading the paper in the kitchen.

"Where the hell are you going this early in the morning?" Chris asked as he dared not look at his daughter.

Hearing her father's voice made her heart sink and she groaned internally as she turned to face him. "I am going to my job at the store I told you about."

"Yeah, I remember. You are going to that demon worshipping store," her father remarked bitterly, still refusing to look at Scarlet as the paper held more interest than her.

"It's not demon worship," Scarlet lied as she sighed irritably at her father. "It's just a store that sells items for the Wind Knoll Gods."

"You're so naïve, just like your mother was," Chris remarked coldly with a bitter laugh before walking off with his coffee and paper.

Rolling her eyes at her father's horrible attitude, she left the house with a slam of the door to announce her anger in her father's words. Standing there at their mailbox, Scarlet eyed the fog that was still there about Wind Knoll. It unsettled her as it often did and she couldn't help but hurry down Lavender Lane to get to the store she was indebted to.

The fog was as thick as ever and made it difficult for Scarlet to look through it to see what was ahead of her. Embracing her arms tightly about her body, she hurried down the concrete road that was beneath her boots though uncertain of where it would empty out to. Her eyes looking about the fog covered buildings she could barely see even if they were right next to her, Scarlet stopped for a moment near a payphone nearby and what appeared to be a grocery store to her right. "Where am I? What road is this?"

Scarlet hurried down the road regardless, eventually coming upon a trashcan and a bench that was situated in front of a restaurant of some kind that she had never seen before. There was a woman sleeping upon the bench it appeared that was wearing a dark red dress and black boots from what she could see from the angle she was viewing the woman at. Coming closer towards the sleeping person, Scarlet recognized the face that was slightly covered in the woman's black, messy hair.

"Silvia," Scarlet called as she hurried over towards Silvia who appeared to be sleeping on the bench and had done so during the night. Kneeling down in front of the obviously intoxicated Silvia, Scarlet shook her gently. "Silvia, wake up!"

Silvia moaned slightly as she looked through her raven colored hair at the dull hued eyes of Scarlet. "Scarlet? What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, Silvia's words awfully slurred.

"What are you doing here?" Scarlet wondered as she helped Silvia at least sit upright on the bench she had chosen to sleep upon. "You didn't go home all night?"

Silvia ran her fingers through her hair as she attempted to put together Scarlet's words that she was having a hard time understanding at that moment. Looking over her shoulder at the restaurant that was slightly hidden in the fog that morning, she turned back to Scarlet with a drunken grin as she nodded. "Oh, man, I love sleeping outside at times. The images—wow—especially when you're buzzing like crazy," she chuckled with a snort.

Scarlet rubbed the back of her neck with a cock of her brow, wondering what Silvia was talking about as she joined her there upon the bench on the sidewalk. "What images are you talking about? And you're not buzzing, you're straight drunk!"

"Oh, screw what I am talking about," Silvia insisted as she looked about the foggy town with a confused expression. "What time is it?"

"I don't know for certain, but when I last left the house it was close to ten," Scarlet answered as she fixed the black colored bandana she had upon her head to keep her hair out of her face.

Her hand wearily placed upon the wooden bench to heft herself up, Silvia stumbled to her feet before leaning on Scarlet with the one bottle of beer she had left in her hand. "Terrific—that means I woke up just in time for the store. Let's go!" Pointing off at nowhere in particular, Silvia couldn't help but laugh at her own stupidity.

Scarlet, on the other hand, found it less than amusing as she kept her manager from falling face first on the concrete. "But, where is the store? I can hardly see with the fog being so horrible today."

"Hell if I should know," Silvia chuckled while taking another sip of the liquor she had within her hand. "I think it's—that way."

Following Silvia's finger, Scarlet noticed she was more than likely pointing towards the road and couldn't help but shake her head with a groan. "I guess we will just continue down this road for awhile or wait until the fog clears up. It should eventually."

Remaining as Silvia's crutch for the time being, Scarlet headed off down the sidewalk and stayed close to the stores that would steadily come within view the more they walked. As they continued walking through town, it seemed as though the fog was getting worse and not better as they had hoped and it worried Scarlet more so than the drunken Silvia. Scarlet stopped at the end of the sidewalk they were walking on to gaze up at the road name they were on as she was confused at where they were.

"Rune Avenue?" Scarlet wondered aloud as she looked across the crosswalk before them and down the right where a little bit of the road could be seen before disappearing. "How did we get here?" Rubbing her forehead with the free hand she had, Scarlet couldn't help but grab onto her wind pendent she bought while furrowing her brow in worry. _I wish this fog would let up. I wonder what the deal is with it being this thick at this time in the morning._

Just as Scarlet had wished such a thing, a calming wind started blowing from her right. Scarlet looked at the wind as it quickly came at her, startling her at first as she turned her face quickly from it when it got too rambunctious. Closing her eyes tightly to try and keep the bits of debris out of them that the wind carried within its currents, Scarlet eventually felt the wind settle so she could look about the area once more. The fog had lifted a little for them but it was still awfully thick in some areas.

Silvia looked drunkenly about the roads before pointing down the road on Scarlet's right that was once so hard to see. "Go down that road until the third light and then take a left on Crimson Cove and keep going until it shows Willard Drive on the right somewhere I think," Silvia responded best to her ability seeing as she knew it was time to get to the store. "Just hurry and get your ass to the shop. I don't want us to be late."

Scarlet merely scoffed as she quickly headed down the road Silvia pointed towards. She was eager to get to the store just as much as her manager. Playing as Silvia's crutch wasn't exactly on her list of things to do that morning.

The fog seemed to separate for the two as they made their way to Willard Drive finally. When the road was within view, Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief as she quickly hurried towards the store with Silvia still leaning upon her with a few random laughs. The door to the Black Magic Store was the one thing Scarlet was relieved to see as she turned the handle to find it open. She found this a bit odd and looked down at Silvia who didn't seem to care as she shrugged her shoulders, wondering what Scarlet was waiting for.

Scarlet walked into the store and called over the ringing of the bell as she did so. "Hello? Is somebody here?"

The curtain in the back moved as Blossom made her way towards the front in a sleeveless, midriff tee and black, tight fitting trousers. Her hair was tied back in a low ponytail as she scurried to the front where she heard the two enter. "I see Silvia is drunk as all today. I guess that explains what took you both so long."

Scarlet let Blossom take Silvia with a nod. "Yes, I found her on a bench like this and raving about some images that I don't quite understand." Turning to look at the fog that was still quite thick, Scarlet waved towards the window with a sigh. "And the fog has been awful today. I wish it would ease up already."

Blossom took Silvia with a mere nod in return at what Scarlet was saying to her. "I hear they will do something about the fog problem. Let me take Silvia in the back room. I want you to just sit tight behind the counter for awhile."

Watching as Blossom hauled Silvia into the back room behind the curtain, Scarlet took her spot behind the counter while resting her chin upon her overlapped arms that were there upon the countertop. Her eyes peeking over at the windows of the shop she could just see, Scarlet groaned slightly at the fog. _When will that fog lighten up? It's almost 10:30."_

Closing her eyes, Scarlet could see the images that had been within her mind during the night and it disturbed her as she continued to let them race through her head. Her expression painful, she brought her hands up to her face to try and stop the sounds ringing in her ears that were of distorted, high pitched cries and low, slowed moans. Scarlet's eyes flying open finally, she took in a deep breath before standing upright behind the counter. Embracing her quivering body tightly, the young woman was startled when a hand came from behind to cover her mouth in an aggressive manner.

As she was trying to catch her breath from the sudden grab from behind, the playful redhead peeked quickly over Scarlet's shoulder to look her in the eyes. "Gotcha!" He snickered before releasing her mouth.

Seeing who it was made Scarlet groan as she wanted to slap the demon there nearby that scared her. "Man, I wish you wouldn't do that! You frightened me!"

Jin merely laughed at her reaction as he jumped on the countertop where there was room so he could look down at the rattled Scarlet. "Well, you certainly are jumpy. Mind telling me what is rattling you?"

Her fingers massaged her forehead at the headache that always came lately whenever the wind demon showed up. Growling a bit, she eyed the demon with a bit of annoyance in her expression. "Don't you have other worshippers to annoy and tease?" Once she remembered the fog, Scarlet felt need to direct Jin's attention to it. "What about the fog? It's been atrocious all day today!"

The grinning demon looked out at the fog that surrounded the town before rolling his eyes at Scarlet's demands. "You humans are so whiney." Outstretching his hand towards the door, he brought his hand up to control the wind that was outside so as to use it to blow back the mist.

Scarlet watched from behind the counter as the demon used his influences to speak with the wind outside and bend it to his control without a problem. The wind split through the heavy mist and parted it like it was nothing at all. Scarlet was more than amazed at seeing his wind powers do such a thing as she shifted her focus on the wind demon before her. "It was nice of you to finally do that," she sarcastically responded.

"Don't sass me, little girl," Jin remarked as he hefted himself off of the counter. "So how was your time at Touya's temple?"

Having to remember such a time at a place she had long forgotten, Scarlet could only look off to the side as if to avoid the topic for a moment. "It was frightening…I don't know if I can ever really go back there." Scarlet hated to admit it but she was having a hard time shaking the disturbing images that plagued her.

Jin tried to catch Scarlet's wandering eyes as he wondered what had gotten to her. "Why do you say that? You want to find answers about your mother's death, don't you?"

"Can't you just put in a good word for me?" Scarlet wondered as she fidgeted a bit there behind the desk. "I really cannot go back to that temple—."

"It doesn't work that way," Jin quickly interjected. The redhead rubbed the back of his neck before he continued to explain further while motioning with his hands. "I can tell Touya till I am blue in the face about you and what you are but he wouldn't make a house call to someone who is not willing to go the extreme for his services."

Scarlet shook her head slightly confused, "Then why did you come to me?"

Jin reached across the glass counter to grab onto Scarlet's left hand to open up her healing palm to show her the burnt wind design she put there the night he came to her. "That is why I came to you," he answered with his finger pointing to the Celtic design. "You were willing to burn my symbol into yourself for my benefit."

Scarlet looked down at the design burned within her flesh before bringing her hand back to her side. Before she could say another word, Blossom surfaced from the back room making Scarlet hold her words. Looking to Jin, she whispered out the corner of her mouth, "I think you better go."

Blossom broke the silence that soon consumed the room with a bit of an irritable sigh. "It's annoying when Silvia is like this some times." Making her way over to the door and past Jin like he was just part of the scenery, she flipped the sign from closed to open. "I see the fog has finally picked up," Blossom said as she turned back towards Scarlet from where she was standing at the door.

"Yeah," Scarlet responded as she eyed Jin who was still in the store, "funny how that happened."

Jin said not a word as he merely shrugged his shoulders while walking into the back of the room where the candles were placed.

Sighing out her frustration still, Blossom headed for the counter so she could support herself upon something. Her hands gracing the top of the area, she shook her head from side to side. "Sorry you had to put up with Silvia like that. She can be something else when she is wasted." Blossom eyed the slightly swaying curtain that held its own secrets unknown to Scarlet. "No doubt she got so wasted they kicked her out of the bar in due time."

"When I picked her up she was going on about some images that intensify when she is out in the fog," Scarlet explained once more with a bit of concern. "I don't understand how anyone could sleep out in such conditions. It's terrifying me the more I think about it."

Blossom untied her hair with a roll of her eyes at the sound of that. "Silvia just loves what Wind Knoll's fog does to her, especially when drunk. I cannot say I have experienced what she does out there but I have at times more so when sober…it's awfully frightening unless you're so drunk you think it's all a funny nightmare." Pointing towards the curtain off to the far left of the store, she continued, "To Silvia, it's her way of getting high. She is a little nuts in this state so just ignore her."

Not enjoying the subject, Scarlet raised her hands as if to stop Blossom from going any further. "Is there anything you want me to do? Is Silvia going to be okay?"

"Yes," Blossom answered as she dug into her pocket to pull out her wallet. "I want you to go down to Ocean's Breeze and pick up the breakfast for everyone." Pulling out enough money for those who worked there, Blossom headed behind the counter before shooing Scarlet out of the area. "I will take over things here."

Taking the money handed to her, Scarlet managed a nervous nod seeing as she had never really gotten things for herself often much less for others. "Okay, what does everyone want?"

"Just get everyone a regular decaf coffee with a bagel for me, a cinnamon roll for Silvia, and whatever it is you want. I don't have enough money at the moment for coffee with fancy names," Blossom explained as she pulled out a magazine she felt like reading for the moment behind the counter until customers arrived. "That place is shit expensive."

"Okay, I will be back later then," Scarlet said as she made her way outside and into the slightly misty roads.

Scarlet could see the buildings and sidewalks opposite to her as she headed to Ocean's Breeze further up Willard Drive. The wind that Jin had unleashed obviously did the trick. She could now see people out and about, doing their routine daily activities for that quiet morning. While heading down the roads, Scarlet couldn't help but feel like something was watching her through the fog and she became rattled by those who passed her suddenly. Pocketing the money she had, Scarlet's weary gray, green eyes searched the area around her frequently for whoever it was she felt was watching her only to find nothing.

The people that ran into Scarlet said not a thing though felt need to scold her for standing in the way or swear at her as they continued on their way. Scarlet looked through the strands of her bi-colored hair that waved within her face before quickly turning away to run for the coffee shop. As she was doing so, she would occasionally look over at the misty streets as if to see a tall figure with narrow gold eyes watching her from time to time. It was as though every time she looked back at where she saw the figure, it had either moved or was coming closer towards her making Scarlet panic.

The coffee shop soon within sight, she was quick to open the door and close it behind her. Her breathing labored and her complexion paler than usual, it looked to others as though Scarlet was under attack though everyone who gazed upon her said not a word. Trying to catch her breath, the rattled Scarlet headed up front with the money she was given. "Hi," she greeted to the young male behind the cash register. "I would like three decaf coffees with one bagel, one cinnamon roll, and a chocolate donut please."

When her order was given to her, Scarlet stood within the coffee shop as if debating on whether or not to head back outside. Once the courage came to her and the realization that it probably was nothing, she stepped back out onto the sidewalks with the items in her arms while heading back down the road cautiously. The same eerie feeling of being watched came back over Scarlet as it had when she was heading to the place. She couldn't shake it as she squeezed her way through the traffic that was starting to gather upon the sidewalks.

The same figure that she had seen previously continued to show up within the misted roads as if it were following her. When Scarlet picked up her pace, whoever it was quickly darted in front of her making the frightened woman released a scream that was soon muffled by the palm of the beast in front of her. Her eyes widen and her heart beating wildly, she looked up at the towering man with silver hair and ears that looked like that of a cat to her.

His eyes narrowed down at her once he removed his hand from her mouth. "Where is the girl I am looking for? You are not here. I was told she would be here."

Scarlet kept the drinks and food in her arms still as she trembled uncontrollably at the sight of the awkward man standing before her. "Who—what are you talking about? Who are you?"


	6. Chapter 6

**_Author's Notes_**: Bleh, I am sorry guys. Classes started again for me and I have four to take. Three are sort of simple but one is a type of accounting I have to do so I might be studying really hard on it. I have only a few more classes until I graduate and then I will be free to find a job. Thank the gods above. XX anyways, enjoy this chapter.

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Scarlet continued to tremble at the beast that towered over her. She kept the items tightly clutched to her chest as she shrunk back from the sight of the demon that stood within a few inches of her quivering form. The silver tresses of the demon flowed and seemed to blend with the vapor that had covered the town. He almost appeared as a spirit to Scarlet as she continued to eye him fearfully.

The ears of the demon shifted forward as his narrow, yellow eyes continued to criticize Scarlet. "Where is she?" He demanded to know once more as the silver haired creature remained before her with his fists clutched at his sides.

"Who—who are you talking about?" Scarlet asked once more silently as there were people who were nearby that obviously couldn't see the awkward looking beast there on the sidewalk. "What are you?"

The demon said not another word as he disappeared quickly from the fog he came from. The thick mist clouded back up the area once more, making it difficult for anyone to see the streets until the wind finally came by to spread out the fog evenly. Scarlet tried to get the feeling back into her legs that went numb from the previous encounter. Gathering what strength she had, she quickly headed back down the misty concrete sidewalk before her to get back to the store.

Blossom was behind the counter at the Black Magic Store while flipping the pages of a magazine before her. Her palm resting upon her cheek with her elbow upon the counter to support her head that was growing heavy with boredom and hunger, a yawn escaped through her mouth that was interrupted with the ringing of the bell at the front door. Her soft blue eyes catching the rattled Scarlet, Blossom pulled her attention from the magazine resting on the counter she was attending to.

"Scarlet, what is the matter?" She asked as she rounded the counter to grab the items she thought for sure Scarlet might drop.

Scarlet said not a word at the moment as she nearly attacked Blossom when she was snapped from the shock filled trance she was within. Walking behind the counter where she saw Blossom standing last, she sat upon the chair that was there.

Blossom took the food and placed it on the front desk next to the cash register before quickly jogging to Scarlet's side in wonder of what startled her so bad. "Scarlet, you look paler than usual," she slightly joked as she shook the girl gently. "What happened?"

Scarlet opened her mouth to try and find her voice as she shook her head several times. "I—I don't know…," she managed to surface from her lips. "A big silver haired demon came out of the fog and started demanding to know where this blond haired girl was!"

Hearing of the silver haired demon she encountered, Blossom blinked a few times in surprise as she placed her hand on Scarlet's shoulder to get the startled woman to look at her. "Scarlet, was the demon seven feet tall or so," she gestured with her hands, "and did he have cat like ears that blended in with his hair? Did he have a bushy tail of silver as well?"

Jin was still within the store and could hear the girls conversing as he made his way to the end of one of the aisles of the building. He recognized the description but said not a word while continuing to eavesdrop.

"Yes, yes," the frightened Scarlet answered with a furious nod of her head. She brought her head to her hands to try and settle herself from where she sat. The thought of the demanding demon rattled her and the encounter continued to play in her head. "He scared…the hell out of me!"

The flap in the back moved as Silvia stumbled slightly towards the front with a weary stretch. "What the fuck is the commotion? Where the hell is my breakfast?"

Blossom turned to Silvia quickly to try and stop her from making a further fool of herself. "Silvia, you need to go in the backroom and stay there for me, okay? I will bring your breakfast to you in due time." Her hands pressed against the back of the drunken worker to escort Silvia quickly back behind the curtain she surfaced from.

Silvia made her way back towards the back room with Blossom's help. The curtain moved to allow way for the drunken worker to get back to where she originally was placed. Scarlet watched from the counter as they made sure to keep her from viewing what was behind there as Blossom blocked her sight with her back and the curtain.

Blossom eventually made sure Silvia was alright within the confines of the backroom. The curtain closed behind her, she made her way back to Scarlet to get the rest of the story out of her. "Who was the demon asking for?" Blossom asked as she sighed with a bit of frustration. "Was he looking for a blond woman only?"

Scarlet nodded once more. "He was…he was wondering where this woman was and why I wasn't her. I don't know. I am so confused!"

The brunette tapped her fingers upon the counter as she tried to offer a consoling smile to Scarlet. "Hey, don't worry about it, okay? I am sure he wasn't coming after you and now you know for sure he wasn't," she whispered softly. "Just try to get through the day and I promise I will find a way to get your mind off of the matter."

Rubbing her eyes that dared to run over with tears of fright, Scarlet looked up at Blossom with a gradual nod to her. "What—do you want me to do today?"

"First, you can eat your breakfast," Blossom felt need to point out as she sorted the items that were bought for the workers. "I might as well get Silvia her stuff before she resurfaces to cause problems again for us and the workers. While I am back there, I will grab some of the items that arrived so you can place them on the shelves." Blossom scooped up part of the breakfast in her hands that were bought for Silvia so she could travel in the back room to give them to the raven haired wreck.

Scarlet looked down at her coffee that was still slightly warm when her trembling fingers embraced the cup to bring to her lips. The warm morning drink caressed her dry throat to try and wake her body up for the morning hours. Shaking her head to try and release the images from her mind, her grayish, green eyes spied the wild redhead from one of the aisles. She kept the cup firmly clasped in her hands though Scarlet slightly lowered it to stare at the demon 'god' inquisitively concerning the expression he was holding.

Jin crossed his arms behind his back as he hummed a slight tune to himself while making his way over towards the counter. "Is something the matter, child?"

The bi-color haired woman looked at the wind demon with a bit of a frown. Her cup soon gracing the counter's surface, she checked to make sure Blossom and Silvia weren't going to resurface anytime soon before looking back to the redhead. "I encountered a very large cat looking demon out on the streets!" She hissed softly in a whisper so only the two of them could hear. "What is going on with me!" Scarlet demanded to know angrily.

Jin opened his mouth to speak but suddenly stopped as he looked out the store door at something that caught his interest. "I am sorry, child, but I have to go take care of something. I will see you later tonight if you call to me." With a simple gesture of his hand, Jin headed out of the store he was within to disappear within the fog filled streets.

Sighing with her fingers massaging her forehead Scarlet continued to sip down her coffee as she eyed the curtain cautiously. "Some 'god' he turned out to be. I thought he was supposed to help me even if he was a filthy demon."

--

When the night shift managed to make it to the store, Scarlet and the others gathered up their belongings to get ready to head out for the misted roads. Silvia was suffering through a hangover that Blossom tried to conceal from the others as she quickly escorted the young worker out of the store and onto the sidewalk that was starting to steadily die down for the night. Scarlet followed behind them after waving to the next workers in line.

"Well," Blossom began as she situated Silvia on her shoulder, "I guess I might as well drive Silvia to her house. I fear leaving her here all by herself."

Scarlet didn't say a word as she eyed the fog with fear swelling within her body. Embracing her figure, she gazed about the shrouded forms that seemed to moan and twitch oddly on the opposite sidewalk. Her skin was wrapped in bumps with the hair on her arm rising from the slight horror taking over her form. Scarlet didn't want to be out there in the roads alone and most certainly not at all. Blossom noticed Scarlet's expression and felt need to question it.

"Scarlet, if you want to come with us, I don't mind," Blossom encouraged as she threw her brunette hair over her other shoulder. "My car is just down the road." Cars were usually parked near the sidewalks where they were allowed. Parking was never allowed near the Black Magic Store so Blossom was always forced to park further down the sidewalk.

Scarlet wasn't sure about going anywhere else but home. She feared her father would be there to punish her if she returned home late or out of the schedule Scarlet had set. But the fog scared her more than ever and she feared walking home all by herself. "Alright," she answered with a shaky sigh, "I will join you. I don't really want to be alone within this thick fog tonight…"

Blossom nodded down the sidewalk before heading down there with the ill Silvia, whose head was still swirling from the alcohol she had consumed. She guided the two to her crimson red Toyota that was parked near the drug store. Blossom opened up the door for Scarlet to enter first so she could help her with Silvia.

Scarlet sat upon the middle seat within the front of the truck to help Silvia make it to the passenger seat of the red truck. She made sure that the weary woman was all the way inside before Blossom shut the door so she could get into the driver's seat. "Man, you are really wasted," she grunted while helping Silvia with her seatbelt.

"Don't mind her," Blossom replied from the other side of the vehicle. Buckling her seatbelt, she inserted her keys and started up her car before shutting the door. "Silvia always was a drunken ass for as long as I can remember."

"I heard that," Silvia gurgled with her head resting against the window nearby. The feel of the cold window chilled her warm and aching head but it wasn't enough to numb the hangover she was experiencing.

Blossom merely offered a brief smile to show she was only joking in front of Silvia. Checking her mirrors, she looked over her shoulder to make sure nobody was heading towards her as Blossom pulled her car out onto the street. "Alright, let's get you home, Silvia."

Scarlet watched as the buildings passed by from the front window. Some that could be made out from the fog almost looked identical to the one next to it. It made Scarlet dizzy trying to keep her eyes on them as Blossom turned down road after road to make it to Silvia's home. The fog seemed to thicken at some point until dispersing to show a destroyed town covered in cracked roads and blood stained street and buildings. The paint on the buildings had peeled away and some parts were rusted. Some of the windows and stores were covered in snow it appeared from where she was sitting.

The sight of it all startled Scarlet as she gazed at the sight wide-eyed. Massaging her weary eyes, she opened them to find Wind Knoll the same way it always had been. It confused her but she said not a word as Blossom turned off down the road some called Hangman's Road. It was a dangerous road filled with the most reported hauntings and suicides by hanging then any other area in the town. "Silvia lives here?" Scarlet asked.

"Sadly," Blossom whispered in response as her truck trekked over the bumpy roads.

The car continued to travel down the blood splattered roads and decrepit buildings until making it to the temple that towered over the dreary streets and housings. It was a dark temple that had crows perching upon the gargoyle statues that lined parts of the church. The statues that were at the door and on the top of the building were that of a man with horns upon his head and a tied back braided hair with bat like wings spread out over the person's back. The ones near the doors were of the man holding a sword but keeping his hands gripped firmly about the hilt of the sword with the end of it implanted into the concrete. The one on the top was of the man looking vicious with his knees bent and his left hand planted upon the roof of the temple. The sword he held was out of the sheath and pointed at any who entered the temple. The horns were apparent, unlike the statues near the entrance as was the wings that were fanned out in intimidating furry. Scarlet recognized the creature as the car was parked within the temple's parking lot. It was Shishiwakamaru's Temple—the temple belonging to the God of Death.

Blossom turned off her car before unfastening her seatbelt to get out to help with Silvia. "Well, we are here." Her hand graced the hood of her truck as she made it over to the passenger's seat to open the door once Scarlet held Silvia back from the window so the poor woman wouldn't fall upon the hard floor once the door opened. She opened her arms to take Silvia with a brief point to Scarlet. "I want you to stay in the car and wait. I will be right back."

Scarlet had no objection given where they were. Closing the doors behind Blossom and Silvia, she brought her knees up to her chest as she moved over to the passenger seat. "Goodness, I hate this side of town," she mumbled while grabbing onto the pendent she was wearing from the wind demon who visited her. "No wonder Silvia gets so wasted. I wouldn't want to remember my time here either."

It didn't take Blossom long to come hurrying back out of the temple with her keys at ready. The wavy brunette let herself into her truck so as to start it up quickly. "Now, let's get out of here," she insisted in a hurried breath.

"Is…it okay to leave her there?" Scarlet felt need to ask as Blossom eagerly pulled from the parking lot.

"Silvia lives there," Blossom answered as she drove quickly down the road knowing that not many officers patrolled the streets. "Both her parents abandoned her when she was born and she was brought up under the priests and priestesses in Shishiwakamaru's Temple. She said that the demon brought her up on occasion but he eventually disappeared when she started praising him without the priest and priestesses' help. She doesn't understand what happened and neither do I."

Scarlet looked over the seat to watch as the temple in the rearview window disappeared over the hill. Rocking from the motion of the car, she peeked back over at Blossom in shock. "I cannot believe she lives there…"

Blossom merely shrugged as she finally got off of the street that was known as 'Hangman's Road'. "It is home to her and she rarely complains about it." Turning down one of the many roads that littered the town, Blossom sighed for a moment as she looked down at her car radio to catch the time. "Well, it is almost six." Blossom pointed to her glove compartment, signaling Scarlet to open it for her so Blossom could get her cigarettes. "If you want, I can either take you home or go to my house for a moment to speak about that encounter that had you spooked all damn day."

Thinking of the demon she had heard speaking to her made Scarlet shiver uncontrollably. "I guess I can go to your house. But I cannot stay long, Blossom," Scarlet felt need to stress as she waved some of the smoke away from her face that the woman was blowing within the car. "My father is awfully strict about how long I am out and about at times."

"It won't take us long," Blossom promised with a yawn as she headed back towards Willard Drive so she could get to the farmland that she lived about. "It'll just take an hour or so."

--

The car traveled down the rough dirt road that was known as Rosewood Boulevard. Blossom turned on her car's lights to see through the fog that was starting to gather as she hunted for the house that was hers amongst the few that were there. Eventually she came upon her home that was a one story house with a small backyard with a barking black lab in the fenced in backyard. Blossom pulled into her driveway to make it to her garage that was quite clean considering the normal things that usually cluttered up a garage area.

With the car parked, Scarlet unfastened her seatbelt and exited the vehicle to head for the front door that Blossom was soon at with her keys at ready. "You live here by yourself?" Scarlet asked.

"Of course I do," Blossom answered as she opened the door to wave Scarlet on inside. "I have since I was twenty-one."

Walking through the front door, Scarlet saw a small square, wooden table with four chairs to occupy the space. The kitchen came with a stove, dishwasher, and a few cabinets to hold the food and dishes that the young brunette usually used. The tile was white though slightly grungy in some areas of the kitchen. There was a small hallway that held a bathroom on the right of the corridor. The hallway itself led into the living room though Scarlet couldn't see much seeing as a blue sofa blocked her view from where she was standing. The glass that occupied the space behind the table that allowed anyone within the house to view the outside catching Scarlet's interest, she headed over towards it to look out at the thick fog that was gathering about the land as the sun was about the set.

The sudden barking and nails of the black lab hitting the glass of the door that led to the back startled Scarlet as she jumped back slightly nearly falling on her rear. The dog continued to bark and breathe upon the glass, pawing away at the door as it whined in want to be let in.

"Oh, don't let that big guy scare you," Blossom insisted as she unlocked the back door. "You're not afraid of dogs or anything, are you?"

"No, no," Scarlet answered softly as she got to her feet. "My mom raised me around dogs. She loved them. He just startled me is all."

Blossom opened the door to allow the excited dog on inside. The black lab wagged his tail to and fro so quickly and with such force that his entire backside wiggled uncontrollably from side to side. Panting from all the excitement, he balanced on his hind legs to place his front paws upon his master's thighs. Blossom knelt down to scratch behind the dog's ears before giving him kissing to try and settle him. "This is Old Blue," the brunette announced before standing to her feet once more. "I called him that because some times his black fur looks blue."

Scarlet reached down to let the dog smell of her hand first before bothering to pet the rowdy hound there before them. "So…about that demon…," she finally said in hopes of breaking the ice.

"Right, right," Blossom sighed as she pointed at one of the doors within the kitchen. "My bedroom is right through there. If you could wait for me, that would be great. I have to feed Blue boy."

_I merely nodded and headed for the room she had pointed to across from the kitchen. As soon as I opened the door to her bedroom, I was greeted by incenses burning as well as the many candles she had spread across her vanity, desks, and drawers. They were candles that were in her demon's honor, I assumed while walking around and looking at the other objects that reminded me of witchcraft. The sight of the daggers and crystal balls as well as robes that brought my mind to witchcraft set me on edge as my fingers touched the desk that Blossom apparently used as a shrine._

On the desk, from what Scarlet could see, was a picture of a young, wavy haired blond with another flaxen haired girl that looked a good bit older than the younger child that she was holding onto in the picture. Scarlet's fingers graced the cold frame to bring it closer to her face in wonder of who was in the image. Her fingertips touched the glass that protected it until the sound of the door being opened caught her attention.

Blossom closed the door behind her as she made her way over to her bed that was placed in between her windows in the back. Her covers had Celtic designs upon them that looked like that of two dolphins jumping out of the water under the moonlight. "Sorry if the smell of the candles bothers you," she apologizes as she sat on the side of her bed to watch Scarlet. "Sometimes I just prefer to sit in nothing but candlelight with incense burning. It soothes me at night."

"It doesn't bother me," Scarlet assured her as she sat on the opposite side of the bed. "So, about that demon," the young woman started once more as she thought of the silver beast that surfaced from the fog. "I felt like I was being chased the entire way there when I left to get the breakfast. When I left the store, this demon that looked like a cat demon with golden eyes demanded to know where this blond woman was that he said he knew was around there."

"He is not a cat," Blossom interjected with a shake of her head. "Who you saw was probably Yoko Kurama, the silver fox demon."

"What—!" Scarlet found that hard to believe. She knew Yoko Kurama was a man of the earth but there was nothing in the scriptures of his temple that spoke of him being a silver fox or even depicted him with the features of one. He was mostly seen as a man with eyes of wisdom and long silver hair with a fox as a pet from time to time. It was normally said that the silver fox was known as his messenger and bringing of good fortune if anyone were to actually see one surface from the fog. "But the pictures in his temple—!"

"—Are all fake," Blossom sighed as she interrupted once more. "You have Jin the Wind Demon to look to now, don't you? Why not ask him about some of these things?"

"Because the wind he uses goes right through his ears," Scarlet hissed as she looked up at the fan slowly spinning in Blossom's room. "He is like this big huge riddle that will never give me a straight answer, and he has such a short attention span."

The fire from one of the candles on her nightstand drew in Blossom as she took the dragon candleholder into her hands to bring the heat closer to her. "You said he was looking for a blond. Well, that blond is me." Looking over at the picture that Scarlet had been holding onto earlier, Blossom exhaled softly a bit as she pointed towards it. "The little girl in that picture is me with one of my sisters. I am a natural blond, but when I was told when I came of age I was to be sacrificed to the earth demon to keep the forest alive and crops out here healthy, my parents dyed my hair and sent me away to live with my sisters in secret. My first and last name was changed, and I stayed with my elder siblings until I was old enough to handle myself and so I moved here."

Scarlet continued to listen to Blossom, feeling awful for her and yet confused and horrified as well. "S—sacrificed? Since when do people have to be sacrificed to the demons for such a cause?"

"Since the religion was made centuries ago," Blossom responded as she placed her candleholder back where it was originally. "The elders who created Wind Knoll always sacrificed the sinners and the nonbelievers to keep the demons content and Wind Knoll from falling into the brink of hell and darkness."

Placing some of her hair behind her ear, Scarlet tried to allow the words that were expressed to her to sink in. It was hard to believe. She knew that some of the sinners were sacrificed but not the nonbelievers. "But you are hiding from the 'gods' by dying your hair and changing your name. That is considered a sin to the worshippers of Yoko Kurama."

Blossom was quiet as she twirled her wavy strand of hair about her index finger before allowing it to recoil back near her cheek. "Then I am damned either way you spin it," she whispered as she kicked off her shoes to free her small feet. "I have been hoping to escape death from the fires that the worshippers will burn my body with for purity of my sin. I am sorry he had to come to you."

"But won't he still find you?" Scarlet wondered as she rested upon her side there on the bed.

"He will eventually," she softly spoke with her fingers groping the pendent that represented Yoko Kurama round her neck. Standing to her bare feet, her toes felt of her plush carpet as Blossom turned around with her hands crossed upon her chest. "All I ask is for you to be careful, Scarlet. If you start worshipping either of the demons you are speaking to now, you must be careful of what you do. If you are found to be unfaithful to them, it will be up to the demon to decide your fate and if not them, the crazy worshippers that kiss their feet."

Not wishing to hear anymore of the religion that was all around her, Scarlet eventually departed from Blossom's home quickly after saying her goodbyes to her coworker. She dared not ask for being driven home even if the fog was thickening by the minute. All that had happened during the day had startled her and she was too frightened to speak to anyone. She could only think of getting home at that moment as the sounds of the night made her skin crawl and her body tremble.

The fog continued to gather about Scarlet and the night air got much colder. The nights were always bad about getting cold even during the hot spring and summer months. Scarlet stopped just outside of a closed restaurant, the neon lights towards the end of the title flickering to give her a bit of red light, she looked through the heavy mist to try and figure out what road she was on. Her hand graced the cold iron that made up the streetlamp, which was flickering, she tried to make out the green sign that had the street name upon it.

"Where am I?" She wondered while trying to make out the words on the sign. Thanks to the fog, it was still difficult to make out the white letters from where Scarlet stood. Grabbing onto her wind pendent from around her neck, she began to pray for help from the wind demon she had encountered before. _Please come and guide me, Jin the Wind Demon_, she begged within her mind. _I cannot get home without your help…please!_

Scarlet stood there praying to herself for awhile as the wind caressed her hair gently. She feared being lost there after awhile of not hearing from the demon and she became unnerved. Bringing her hands together, she sniffled back the tears that dared come from the fear that was rising inside of her. Her eyes gazing out within the thick fog, Scarlet stopped her labored breaths of terror at the thought of being lost when an awkward moan and screeching sound could be heard in the vapor. The shadows in the darkness that seemed to come and go from sight looked like zombies from the way they would limber about in the darkness.

The sounds seeming to only get louder the more Scarlet concentrated on them. The loud, distorted screeching as well as the low mumbling and the sound of rickety wheels of a chair slowly turning and rubbing against the cement made Scarlet clasp her hands over her ears tightly. She couldn't stand the foreign sounds any longer that were escalating and pounding within her skull. "Stop it, stop it, **_STOP IT_**!" She screamed with her nails nearly digging into the skin of her skull.

A hand landed on Scarlet's shoulder, scaring her further as she released a shriek with her body soon pressed against the lamppost in fear. Her breath shaky as she inhaled, she was slightly relieved to see it was merely Jin though irritated that he frightened her in such a way.

"What's the matter?" Jin asked as he pulled back his palm from her body. "Why are you out and about at this hour?"

"Screw that right now," Scarlet spat angrily as she pushed herself off of the iron pole her body was shivering against. "What have you done to me!" She demanded to know as she grabbed onto the demon's muscle lined arms. "I want to know what you have done to me!"

Jin cocked his brow at the angered Scarlet as his pointed ears twitched slightly from her words filling them. "What are you talking about?" He asked with a slight scoff at her tone. "I didn't do anything to you."

Scarlet kept her firm grip on the demon until he finally pulled from her tense hands. "Don't act stupid, Jin the Wind God!" She hissed, pointing down at the ground. "I have been seeing things and hearing things and—I want it to stop!"

Jin raised his hands and waved them slightly to make her stop speaking for a moment as he gripped onto her wrists fearing she would try and unleash her human anger upon him. "Scarlet, I didn't do anything to you. You did it to yourself as did your mother when she was alive!" He flipped over Scarlet's hands to show her the marked flesh on her palms. "Do you see these marks?" He asked as his thumbs touched the designs of the Celtic flakes and the wind design. "You were given these when you were baptized under a certain demon or 'god' as you believe we are. When you were baptized, you were awoken and given the eyes of the spirits evil and pure alike. These spirits open your eyes to the demonic world where this town resides upon, and you see and hear the dead as well as those who are damned from Wind Knoll." The demon was silent a moment as he squatted down slightly so he could see eye to eye with Scarlet once he released her hands. "Wind Knoll is a split dimension and some are blind to it even when they are baptized. You are one of the few who are lucky to see it or unlucky depending on how you wish to view it."

"Lucky?" Scarlet scoffed feeling sickened at the thought. "Wind Demon, Jin, I am seeing dead people in my dreams and when I am even awake! Make this stop!"

His fingers rubbed into an annoying inch in his red hair as he looked at Scarlet oddly due to her request. "I cannot do that, kiddo. You might as well ask me to merge heaven and hell," Jin answered as he raised his right hand to make the wind move some of the fog out of the way. "Now come on, let's get you to Touya's Temple."

Scarlet almost refused to budge but went regardless, knowing that the streets were no longer safe for her. Some of the sounds continued to ring within her ears, irritating her as she walked through the fog filled streets with the demon beside her. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she buried her face into the hard skin of the redheaded wind demon to try and avoid anymore morbid sights of Wind Knoll.


	7. Chapter 7

Scarlet remained beside Jin as they traveled through the thick foggy night. She feared being alone within the eerie dark that sang of twisted spirits, which were trapped within the boundaries of Wind Knoll. Every awkward creak and snapping of a twig made Scarlet's skin crawl, staying close to the wind demon for protection and comfort.

Jin merely walked through the fog as if it were nothing at all, feeling Scarlet behind him shivering in terror. His baby blue eyes looking over his shoulder with a slight wiggle of his ear, he smelt the fear pheromones emitting from her fragile form. Scratching his forehead with his thumbnail, he released a built up sigh from within as he thought on what to say to her. "So, where were you today?" Jin asked to help keep her mind off of what was going on around her.

"I was at work," Scarlet mumbled, dragging her feet against the cold gravel beneath her.

"I meant after," Jin corrected.

"Are you keeping tabs on me now?" The young woman wondered in slight disgust. Walking across the deserted road after the wind demon, she crossed her arms about her chest to keep herself warm within the freezing night.

"That is what a 'god' does, doesn't he?" Jin asked heading down the road he was on to get to Touya's temple.

"But you're a demon, not a god," Scarlet felt need to remind him.

"Of course, but as a demon guardian I pretty much act as your 'god' as you humans call it." The wind blew slightly, waving through every strand that resided on the demon's skull. Lifting his arms slightly within the air, he inhaled the misty wind with a smile on his face.

Scarlet turned her cheek to the cold wind currents that brushed against her pallid features and bi-colored hair. Sniffling back her sinuses, she wondered what to tell the demon. She didn't wish to be truthful in fear of him alerting the silver fox beast to Blossom's whereabouts. "I just went to talk to one of my co-workers after work. That was all."

Jin couldn't help but expel a brief chuckle at her comment. "You're hiding something from me, but since you have decided to hide it—," the wind demon paused as he turned the corner just down the street. He rested his hand on the red bricks of the building to spin around and look Scarlet within the eyes with a playful grin, "—I won't pry, but I will find out."

Rolling her eyes, Scarlet walked beyond the demon to make it down the adjoining road. "You're so full of shit," she lightly hissed with a shake of her head. "Can't you ever take anything seriously?"

Parting from the side of the building he was leaning against, Jin headed after the young woman he had been asked to help with another toothy grin. "Can't you ever lighten up and learn to smile once in a blue moon?"

"Give me something to smile about and maybe I will," Scarlet snorted in irritation.

Jin said nothing towards that though he offered a shrug to the comment. The wind he controlled continuing to whirl about to part the thick mist, he eventually found the entrance of the Ice Temple resting there within the darkness of Wind Knoll. It looked like a haunted, deserted church of darkness when the light of the sun refused to illuminate the beauty that it usually held. The sight bothered Jin little as he placed his hands on his broad hips. "Well, here we are." Extending his hand to the temple doors, he gazed at Scarlet, who stood beside him. "Shall we?"

The double, marble doors opened with a loud groan into the densely, blue lit temple to announce the arrival of Jin and Scarlet. Jin held open the door to allow Scarlet in ahead of him. Walking into the center of the temple, he took in the scent about him to recognize a few that had been within it. "Touya has been here," Jin mumbled to himself as he sauntered towards the statue slowly.

Scarlet made it to the marble statue that stood within many flowers of blue hue and flickering azure flames. She gazed through the soft light at some of the trinkets left there on the layers of velvet pillows at the foot of the statue of the ice demon. Kneeling before the items to look at each one carefully, she turned to the wind demon she soon felt looming over her. "I meant to ask—how did I get home last night?"

"I took you home when I came back early in the morning," Jin responded, handing the demonic book of ice to Scarlet once more. "You know what to do so I will leave you to it."

Her fingers grasping onto the book of the ice demon, she released a sigh through her nostrils. "Are you going to leave me here again?"

"Yeah, of course," Jin responded with a stretch. "I have to go to a meeting in the mountains before checking on Teresa."

Hearing the name presented to her, Scarlet looked over her shoulder at Jin with the book she was to read lain out in front of her. "Teresa, you mean the young girl with cancer?" Scarlet turned around on the pillow she was going to kneel on to pray in front of the statue of the ice demon. "How is she doing lately? Is she okay?"

Jin hummed in thought, scratching an annoying itch near the horn on his head. "She is the same though I can feel her human energy fading. Lately she has been a little weak, and it is difficult for her to get out of bed." Bringing his hands from his hips forward, wrapping them about his chest, he expressed a brief, sorrowful smile to Scarlet. "The poor girl, I wish it wouldn't be this way."

"Why can't you just guide her parents to the nearest hospital out of Wind Knoll?" Scarlet suggested eagerly.

Jin seemed to frown as he closed his eyes, turning his head the other way.

Witnessing his expression, Scarlet grumbled as she got to her feet. "What is wrong with you, Jin the Wind Demon? If you pity the girl that much, why don't you just rescue her!" Her exclamation echoed throughout the temple halls to show her concern. This type of situation hit too close to her considering how her mother passed away unfairly. Her heart swelling with pain while rapidly beating, she tried to steady her enraged, labored breaths.

The demon could sense her anger, looking back within Scarlet's furious stance. "Scarlet, that is up for her parents to decide. I cannot just whisk her away to the nearest hospital beyond Wind Knoll's boundaries," Jin explained. "Besides, they are worried that the chilly air will just make it worse if she were to travel through it."

"If they let her sit in that bed, she is going to die!" Scarlet stressed.

Jin twisted his mouth to the side in thought, reaching out to grab onto Scarlet's shoulders to keep her still. "How about this, Scarlet, tomorrow after work, I will take you to see Teresa, and you can speak to her if you wish to. Let her tell you what she thinks before you decide forcing decisions on her." Jin pointed down at the pillow that Scarlet was to kneel upon while reading aloud. "Now sit and do what you are supposed to do. It will bring you closer to what you want."

Sighing irritably, Scarlet turned around to kneel in front of the statuette that was erected in Touya's honor. "Fine, fine," she grumbled. "I will be here all night."

"That's a girl," Jin said as if he were a master to a house pet. Patting the top of her head, the wind demon headed back towards the double doors that were still slightly open to allow some of the chilly air to enter the ice temple. "I will see you tomorrow, child. Be careful when alone in here." Grabbing onto the handles of the doors, he closed them behind him so he could depart to the wind to make it to the mountains above.

The mountains that seemed to extend within the clouds, overlooking the Wind Knoll town, the demons that were well known within the town as well as a few others stood on the highest peek to converse. The shadowed demons mumbled amidst themselves, waiting for Jin to meet them. The wind currents slicing through the fog, Jin made his way to the ledge that stood overlooking the village below.

"It is about time you got here," the fire demon people knew as Hiei grumbled, sitting upon a boulder nearby with his sword resting on his right shoulder.

"Sorry, I had things to take care of," Jin said as an excuse, nodding his head to Hiei and then to the others. "So, what is the big deal?"

"We all came to meet about the humans," Kurama responded, no longer the silver fox demon but a regular looking redhead of the age of fourteen or so. His ivy green eyes staring at those around him in seriousness, he expressed a frown. "We have to do something about these crazy people. They continue to bring livestock and humans to spill their blood senselessly on my temple's steps."

"Leave them be if they want to continue killing one another," Shishiwakamaru retorted with a grunt. Throwing his love lavender hair over his shoulder, he pulled his samurai sword from its sheath. "I have tried speaking to my followers, but they have gone so insane with what they believe is righteous that they can no longer hear me."

"They just misunderstand," Jin tried to say in their defense. "I don't understand why we cannot continue to try and reach out to them."

"Jin, we have tried and they don't listen to us," Kurama sighed sorrowfully. "You can whisper in a deaf man's ear all you want, but, in the end, he cannot hear you."

"What do you blokes plan on doing?" Chuu, the large demon, asked as he rest his back against the towering rocks nearby.

"I vote we burn the village," Hiei suggested, his tone filled with a bit of disgust and hatred. "We can get these people back for all the pain and suffering they have thrown on others of their own kind."

Kurama raised his hand to Hiei's suggestion, shaking his head in disapproval. "Let's not go that far. I don't think we need to do such a drastic turn."

"Kurama, you are thinking too purely," Suzuka, the blond haired narcissist remarked with a void expression. "I am sure your Yoko Kurama side would agree that feeding these crazy people a taste of their own medicine would be best."

The redhead demon released a somberly sigh, avoiding eye contact with those around him. He knew that the other spirit residing within him would say otherwise on the situation. "Fine then—we will take a vote. For those of you who find it fair to let the humans rot in their own hell speak now."

"I agree to that," Hiei remarked from where he was sitting. "I think humans deserve to stay in the anguish they built this town upon."

"Okay, that is one for a 'yes', what about you, Suzuka?" Kurama asked, looking to the demon beside him.

"I am with Hiei. Let them suffer. They have senselessly slaughtered their own kind just for their own benefit. They are selfish creatures," Suzuka grumbled with a few irritable motions of his hands.

"Okay, that is two, what about you, Chuu?"

Chuu looked down at the redheaded demon, uncrossing his large arms to place them at his sides in thought. The town within view, though clouded in fog, Chuu offered a shrug at the suggestion. "I don't know what I think, mate. I have mixed feelings about this."

"I will put you down for impartial towards the topic," Kurama said in return, turning to the ice demon that Scarlet had been spending most her time worshipping. "What do you think, Touya?"

"They are not all bad people," Touya expressed from the sidelines. "Let us not make innocent humans pay for the evil ones' mistakes."

"Okay, so that is two to one." Kurama turned to Shishiwakamaru with a nod to the demon that controlled the dead for most of his attacks. "What about you, Shishi?"

"I agree with Hiei and Suzuka," Shishi answered plainly, sheathing his sword once more.

"The score is now three to one," Kurama looked over at Rinku, the young yo-yo playing demon. "What do you think, Rinku?"

"Who cares what happens to them? If the humans want to live that way, let them," Rinku put bluntly, playing with one of his yo-yos as he spoke. "Just leave them alone."

Kurama sighed through his nostrils, looking over at Jin. "Well, Jin, it is all up to your decision. As long as I am in this form, I will stand my ground of saying 'no' putting the score up to three to three, so what do you think?"

Jin felt everyone glaring at him as it was all up to his decision. Rolling his teeth over his lower lip, he voiced his decision regardless of what the other half wanted him to say. "I say leave them alone. There are some humans in Wind Knoll that are worth protecting and guiding. Besides, they can change—humans change just like demons do."

"So that makes it unanimous," Kurama announced with his hand slightly raised in the air. "We will leave the humans in Wind Knoll alone."

Groans as well as sighs of relief filled the crisp air. An argument erupted amongst the demons as they began wondering what was wrong with the other. Pointing the finger at the opposing demon in the group, their angered voices filled the air of the mountaintops. Kurama stayed back listening to what all was being said between the group members. Waving his hands up in the air, he tried to get their attention.

"Guys, stop it!" The fox demon demanded over their bickering. When the hissing and angered growls ceased, all eyes upon Kurama, he lowered his hands behind his red hair. "Look, the vote will still stand, and if anybody wishes to change their view, we will go through with the punishment." His palms upward to weigh everyone's thoughts, he looked at the demons that had taken their stand. "Well, what do you think?"

"Fine, I can deal with that," Suzuka grumbled, pulling from the demons to be in Hell where he belonged.

Hiei merely groaned irritably, vanishing without a word thanks to his incredible speed.

Shishiwakamaru watched the two previous demons take their leave, turning his attention to those still nearby. "I have people who are calling me at my temple. I guess I best go to them now and serve them as I was asked to." Shishi knew he was bound to the humans that had worshipped him, but he was growing weary of the idea. Keeping his sword at his side, he headed back down the mountain range to get back to the town below and to the temple that belonged to him.

Chuu tapped the back of the smallest demon, Rinku to show that he was ready to leave and head back to hell with him. Waving over his shoulder, he smiled at Kurama. "Good luck to you, Kurama."

Kurama managed a smile to Chuu and Rinku, turning to Jin and Touya who were still there. "I still have some searching to do. I have to find that young girl that is supposed to be sacrificed for the dying crops lately." Shaking his head at the poor girl's fate, he placed his hands in his pockets as he departed from the scene as well, leaving the two demons that were good friends behind.

"At least we avoided that nasty spill," Jin said with a sigh of relief, sitting down on the rock formation Hiei had been upon earlier.

"I would hate to see that entire village be burned down and cursed," Touya admitted, turning to look out at the foggy town. "It would remind me too much of the shinobi sect we had been raised within."

Jin nodded, cupping his hands in between his parted legs. "Hey, Touya, have you ever heard of someone named Scarlet Baker?"

Touya twisted his face in thought of the name granted him. "Scarlet Baker, Scarlet Baker…"

Hearing that Touya was having a difficult time remembering her, he dropped a few hints, "She has blond and black streaked hair—gray, green eyes—lives on Lavender Lane."

"Did she have a young mother named Cynthia Barker who died years ago?" Touya asked trying to recall the young woman Jin was trying to describe for him.

"I don't know," Jin said with a shrug. "I think that is her mother's name. I do know that she lost her mom."

Touya looked back out at Wind Knoll that stretched out before him within the Misty Woodlands. "I vaguely recall her. I do know she shut off to me when her mother finally died when all I could do was be there for her mother's passing soul." Walking over towards Jin, he joined him on the boulder he sat upon seeing as there was enough room for him to do so. "I tried to stay by her side afterwards but she refused to listen to me, and so I just left her alone to wallow in her own depression."

"I felt your energy when I went to her house," Jin said with a soft chuckle in the back of his throat. "I know you stopped by once or twice to see how she was doing."

Touya shrugged, clapping his hands once together in thought. "I worried for her. Her soul would get strong then weak again as she fell into the horrible stages of depression. I wanted to be there when she passed on. And, by the way, the marks on her arms were made by her and a kitchen knife."

Blinking several times at Touya's somewhat random response on Scarlet's body, he tilted his head to the side. "You witnessed her doing that to herself and didn't stop her?"

"She was lost to me by then," the ice demon said with a whisper. "I couldn't reach her and make her stop. It was bad enough that I had to sit and watch her damage herself so I left her to be alone."

"Well, since she summoned me, she has been looking to you once more," Jin pointed out, rubbing the wrinkles out of his baggy pants. "She wants answers from you and so she has been praying to you at your temple."

The wind currents caressing Touya's four aquatic colored bangs, he gazed off to the side thinking on what Jin just presented to him. "What do you want me to do, Jin?" The ice demon asked, rubbing his hands together. "I cannot exactly just run back to her even if she is making an initiative this time."

"Touya, just listen to her," Jin insisted. "She has been praying in your temple when nobody else is there. The least you can do is hear her out after all these years."

Pushing himself up off of the stone beneath him, Touya walked back out towards the ledge to gaze back down at the town below. Touya tapped his fingers upon his arms once he crossed them upon his chest. "I will listen to what she has to say and see what I can do," Touya expressed finally, turning towards the mountain's rocky trail that would lead back down towards the town. "I guess I will see you around, Jin."

Jin raised his hand up towards Touya to wave him goodbye. "See you, Touya. I am going to head to my temple for some sleep. That girl wears me out." Stretching upward with a light yawn, Jin took flight into the air to head to the mountain's base where his home away from home was located.

Scarlet closed the book she had been reading from till four in the morning. Her eyes heavy and her body shutting down, she pushed herself from the statue that she had knelt in front of for hours. "I am beat…enough of this for the night."

Getting to her feet, she grabbed one of the nearby candles to help her find her way to the bedrooms that were off to either side of the statue. Scarlet parted the curtains that enclosed the bedroom to the right of the erected, marble statue of Touya. Walking into the medium sized circular room, Scarlet tossed the book she had read from on the bed she chose last time as her bed. It was made, probably from the priestesses and priests that watched over the temple and served from another section of the large temple.

The walls groaned and awkward sounds emitted from beyond the walls, making Scarlet cringe slightly as she embraced herself when undressing for bed. "This place…it is so disturbing. I just don't like it here," Scarlet admitted aloud to herself.

Pulling back the covers, Scarlet made herself comfortable on the temple bed. She grabbed onto the book that she had read from to place it under her pillow to keep it protected. Hugging the pillow close to her face, Scarlet watched the hypnotizing blue flames that hung in lamps from the ceiling dance about within the temple's bedroom. The sight and smell of the burning candles became soothing, leaving Scarlet to fight to stay awake only to give in and finally go into a deep sleep.

--

Scarlet's mind began to wander within the darkest corner of Wind Knoll once again as it had done previously at the Ice Temple. Her bare feet tapped cautiously about the cold concrete beneath her that created one of the many streets of Wind Knoll. Embracing her body, Scarlet felt very cold as she shivered uncontrollably in her nightmare that she once again found herself within, walking down the road placed there before her. Her teeth chattering to express her discomfort, the young woman tried to see through the fog that was thicker than ever.

"**_Hello? Is somebody out there?_**" Scarlet called daringly within her nightmare.

All was silent for awhile until a slight banging sound echoed throughout the dense mist. Groaning and haunting gurgling noises followed the clang of someone or something hitting an iron pole. The sounds made Scarlet's flesh crawl as she attempted to keep herself warm, breathing within her opened hands, placing them on her upper arms to transfer the heat. She continued to bravely walk about the town within her dreams. Gazing up at the clouds that were over her head, she saw that they appeared to be heavy with rain.

"**_It is so cold_**," Scarlet murmured, breathing once more into her hands.

Her entire body was going cold, her feet and hands almost numbing from how chilly it was within the dream. Dragging her feet against the cracked pavement, she continued to call out to whoever could possibly be there within the fog. Her bare, dirty feet skimmed the cold ground until coming upon a puddle that felt sticky to her skin. Fearfully gazing downward at what was in her path, Scarlet inhaled sharply at the pool of blood that was there beneath her toes.

"**_Oh my God…!_**" She whimpered with terror gripping her entire form. Covering her mouth at the sight before her eyes, Scarlet witnessed as the fog dissipated just a bit about the blood trail to see a young female's body lying there face down on the cement. She was horribly mangled and her torso torn in two, with the female's organs splattered on the cold ground.

Backing up from the sight, Scarlet couldn't find the words to express the disgust and dread she felt engulfing her. Her back reaching the streetlight behind her, she cupped her mouth as tears spilled from her eyes. Scarlet's fingers moving to the dark ivy colored streetlight behind her to feel of the chilled iron, her back scrolling down it as she sat down at the base of the lamppost. Biting her nails as her adrenaline coursed through her, she listened to the oncoming groans, and high pitched screaming that put her heart in a race.

"**_Somebody_**," Scarlet called out loudly, "**_anybody, help_**!"

Her voice bouncing off of the walls of her surreal dream, the fog seemed to obey her words as it thinned out to reveal the rest of the land she had found herself within. Scarlet rose to her feet cautiously to step beyond the deceased woman's body to take in the deserted town lain out in front of her. The squeaking of swaying signs that rocked in the wind was the only thing she could hear, occupied by the foreign groaning and cries. Not wishing to find out what was causing the other sounds that were not familiar to her, Scarlet ran as quickly as she could with her blooded heels marking her path.

Panting heavily as she ran with all her might through the cold afternoon, Scarlet stopped at a towering temple that was soon resting within view. Her expelling breaths transforming into crystalline vapors, she felt the air getting a bit thicker, making it difficult for her to breathe yet again. Scarlet almost fell to her knees as she stumbled forward towards the temple's steps to look up at the building. "**_This is…this is, Touya the Ice God's Temple_**," Scarlet said with a chatter of her teeth.

Still finding it difficult to breathe, Scarlet crawled up the steps desperately in hopes of finding the air she would need to respire once more. Her fingers gripping tightly onto the door's handles, she jostled them to try and make them open but to no avail. The doors banged and rubbed against one another to show they would not open for her.

"**_Come on, come on!_**" She begged, coughing harshly.

"**_It will not open for you_**," a voice responded from behind the frantic woman.

Scarlet fell to her knees, trying to find the strength to look behind her at who was speaking to her. Her eyes widening slightly, she recognized the demon there that stood at least five foot, one with four aquatic bangs and sky blue hair. Rocking herself on the top step, the fearful woman tried to warm her freezing body yet again as the cold seemed to get worse. "**_You…you are…_**"

Touya didn't hesitate to walk up the stairs where Scarlet was suffering. Making it to the top step, he knelt down to the fading human to embrace her. The ice demon said not another word as he kept trying to comfort Scarlet there within her own dream. Sighing softly through his nostrils, he supported the back of her head until she passed out, so she could wake up in her bedroom once again.

--

The alarm ringing loudly within Scarlet's ear made her quickly wake from her bed back on Lavender Lane. She inhaled sharply to catch the breath she felt she was unable to find while in the dreaming state. Her hand to her forehead, she gazed at the red numbers flashing on her clock to find the time.

"What a crazy dream," she murmured in almost a trance like state with her bare feet touching her carpeted floor. "What is wrong with me? Why do I always have those horrible nightmares when I go to the temple?"

Scarlet dragged herself towards her bathroom, supporting herself upon the marble sink with a sigh. Turning on the water so that she could brush her teeth and wash her face, Scarlet opened up the medicine cabinet within her small bathroom to hunt for the items she would need. Her fingers passing by some of the bottles, some empty and some half full, she eventually came upon the one she was looking for. Scarlet pulled the medicine from the cabinet to look at the label placed upon it to find that they were pain killers. Shaking the bottle a moment, she found there only to be one inside.

Several thoughts flashing through her head, Scarlet hesitantly placed the bottle back on the shelf where she found it before closing the cabinet. The reflection of the redheaded wind demon standing in her bathroom doorway didn't catch her attention until she lifted her night shirt off over her head and looked into the mirror on the cabinet. Catching herself from screaming at the sight, Scarlet whirled around as she held onto her night shirt close to her bare chest to hide it from the demon's sight.

"What is the matter with you!" Scarlet exclaimed in a soft whisper. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking!"

Jin chuckled at her expression, "Please, you act like I haven't seen you naked before."

"You damn peeping tom!" Scarlet hissed, nudging her way past the demon to make it into her bedroom to sit upon the bed. "What are you doing here so early?"

The wind demon leaned against the doorway with a grin on his face, still amused by her earlier expression. "I came here to remind you that I will be taking you to speak with Teresa today after work. I spoke to her last night before she went to bed and she is fine with you coming to talk to her."

"Lovely, now can you please leave so I can get dressed?" She huffed irritably.

Jin threw his head back and laughed at her remark as he headed towards the window he had entered through. "Alright, alright, I can get the picture." Hefting himself up in the windowsill to sit and relax for a moment, his leg hanging out the wind with his back against the sill, he saluted to her. "See you later today and don't forget. I promised Teresa you'd be there."

"Will you just get the hell out of here!" Scarlet demanded, throwing one of her shoes at him.

Jin grabbed the incoming object to prevent it from hitting him in the face. "Still as wild as ever." Without another word to the hotheaded young female, the demon jumped off of the windowsill. Outstretching his arms, Jin caught himself on the wind currents to take him back towards the base of the mountain where he remained from time to time.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Author's Notes_**: Sorry, sorry, I was busy playing around on the many games I got for Christmas, and I sketched the Christmas gifts I meant to give to my pals on my LiveJournal account. And since I have so many stories back up and running, I am going to work on them in the order of reviews they get. I don't want to disappoint those who actually don't fear speaking up on my work. XP

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Blossom opened the door to the closed shop with worry expressed clearly on her face. Her wavy, russet dyed hair kissing her skin with the wind blowing contently about the town, she felt a sort of eerie presence upon it as well. The door rang when she finally closed it behind her. Heading to the curtain, which covered the back room, Blossom made sure nobody was around before entering on inside.

The streets still slightly vacant, Scarlet headed for the store she had offered to work at with her hands buried in her pockets of the baggy jeans she was wearing. Her mind lost in wonderment, she almost missed the store. "I cannot believe I agreed to go to that young girl's house with that idiot." Releasing a sigh, she grabbed onto the handle of the door, ignoring the 'Closed' sign, knowing it didn't apply to her.

The ringing of the bell echoed throughout the store as Scarlet made her way to the front desk. She dropped her small coat she was wearing that chilly morning on the chair behind the counter. Scarlet rest her arms upon the glassy top with a sigh expressed, gazing about the empty store.

Blossom pushed the curtain out of her way to make it into sight. Spying Scarlet at the counter startled her, prompting her to jump back with her hand over her chest with a deep inhale. "Goodness, Scarlet, you scared me to death."

Scarlet raised her head slightly from where it was hanging between her arms. "Sorry, I am a little early. I have been having difficulty sleeping lately. These…awful nightmares have been attacking me; especially when I am at the temples…"

The young brunette seemed to fidget slightly at the mention of the nightmares. "Wind Knoll releases those nightmares from the mist, some say," she spoke softly. Her fingers strolled across a golden charm bracelet she was wearing, offering a brief smile at them. "Silvia enjoys them."

Scarlet turned her attention fully on Blossom upon hearing such a twisted enjoyment from Silvia. She leaned in closer from over the glass counter to hear a bit better, like the two girls were trying to hide a perfect secret from others close by.

"That is why she often gets drunk and sleeps outside," Blossom further explained. "She says she enjoys the frightening rush." She grabbed onto Scarlet's forearm, which was within reach, with a firm expression. "But I advise you to be careful. Those dreams…I hear that they are actually soul wanderings. If your soul gets devoured by one of those beasts, you will die."

"Do the Gods—I mean—the Demons show up for you during such a time?" Scarlet felt need to ask.

Blossom shook her head with a bite of her lower lip. "I cannot ask my demon guardian for help. If I do, he will find me."

"Why don't you send someone to talk to him?" Scarlet inquired as she brought her hands back to her sides. "Maybe he is not going to kill you at all…"

The wavy hair of the brunette shook as she offered Scarlet her response. "I cannot send anybody to meet him. Those I am friends with have lost contact with the demons a long time ago." She shook her head once more, digging into her purse to pull out her wallet to count the money that was within it. "Look, I am going to go get breakfast for everyone. When Silvia makes it in, tell her to work on putting the new inventory in their right spot."

"Of course," Scarlet meekly replied. "Be careful out there."

"I will," Blossom said in return with a brief wave over her shoulder.

Left alone in the store made it tempting for Scarlet to look over at the red curtain, which concealed the back room. She didn't wish to go back there unsupervised, so she remained where she was. Ducking behind the counter, Scarlet went hunting for something to read. The magazines sat in a tidy pile in the back corner. Grabbing onto one, she brought the chair closer so that she could sit and read what was going on in the town.

Unbeknownst to Scarlet, however, two of the demons were watching her closely from the store window. The wind demon shifted his ears at the sounds about them. He placed his hand upon the short ice demon close to him with a gentle nudge.

Touya nodded at the young woman he could now clearly see. "Yes, that is the one. She cuts herself and still does with her mother gone." He placed his hands into his pockets to keep his hands occupied. "Her mom _was_ Cynthia Baker. Last night she was in trouble, and I tried to help her out. She nearly suffocated in her sleep."

Jin sighed, shaking his head in disapproval. "Those demonic souls are getting braver every day. I worry what will happen to some of the weaker humans in this town, where the spirits mostly rise."

"Since she is closer to you at this moment, I will warn you now that she has an abusive father, who drives her to cut herself," Touya said, pressing his palm upon the window before him to try and gather the energies on the opposite side. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly to concentrate on Scarlet's soul.

"I thought you said she mostly does it spontaneously," Jin said with a flick of his pointed ear.

"Some humans are known to enjoy cutting themselves," Touya mumbled as he moved his hands about the glass slightly. "Scarlet is just one of them." He opened his eyes slowly with a deep exhale followed by an equally serious swallow. "Okay, if I were to rate her spiritual energy, I would say she is semi-close to calling to Hell."

"I thought as well. I could hear it humming slightly whenever I am around her," Jin informed. It was known that souls in the afterlife could hear the living souls singing to the dead. The louder it was, the closer the soul was to passing.

"It hums louder whenever she is bleeding from a deep wound she creates on her arm," Touya explained further. "I would be careful of that. She eagerly wishes to join her mother right now, but I feel it is best she remains here."

"Will you go in there with me?" Jin asked, he peering down at the ice master close to him.

Touya expressed a sigh as he thought on Jin's offer. He had other people who had given so much to him to have his protection. Scarlet, on the other hand, was just trying to get back into the studies to get answers she had gone years without. It made the ice master view her as selfish, but he knew, even in his past, he had been selfish himself. "I will go in with you, but do not say a word to her about me being there. She has to be able to see me for herself," Touya stressed.

"Agreed," Jin said with a shrug as he made his way on inside with Touya right behind him.

Scarlet felt the wind of the demon brush across her face. Her bi-colored hair wavering at the wind demon's presence, she looked over towards the door to see the redhead making his way towards the counter. "Do you not have other people to bother?" She asked with a grumble, closing her magazine.

"And it is good to see you too, kiddo," Jin chuckled as he hefted himself up on the counter so he could have a place to sit. "I went to go talk to someone before coming back to check on you. The only reason I bug you as much as I do is because you summoned me." He shrugged his shoulders with a slight smirk. "Besides, demons are a lot faster than you realize. I had time to check on Teresa and talk to her before coming to you."

Touya gazed at the elbow length gloves Scarlet had on with a tilt of his head as the two bickered at one another. "She has fresh wounds on her arm," he announce mostly to Jin as he grabbed onto Scarlet's arm without thinking.

The very hand of the ice demon, who was invisible to Scarlet's sight, startled her as her injured arm was shot with a deadly, frozen bite. Jerking her hand back, she hissed in dismay, fixing the fabric on her arm as it was with confusion. "What—how did you do that? What was that!" She exclaimed in wonderment.

Jin tapped his fingers upon the glass counter in thought. "It wasn't me," he said truthfully, like a child who had been scolded by his mother.

Scarlet could sense something in his tone as well as something in his expression. He was hiding something, but she knew it would just be a pain in her backside to try and get him to tell the truth. Her mind wandered back to Blossom when she gazed out at the foggy morning, which rested beyond the glass windows to her left. "Demon Jin, do you know of one of the demons named Kurama?"

"Which Kurama do you want?" Jin asked with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"How many 'Kuramas' can there possibly be?" Scarlet wondered with a scoff at Jin's stupidity.

"Two," Jin answered simply.

"How about a Yoko Kurama—does that one ring a bell? He is a silver looking cat, fox person," she tried her best to explain with a few hand gestures.

Jin scratched an itch embedded within his fiery, red hair. He appeared miffed about the mere sound of the silver fox demon's name. "Um, why would you want to contact him for?" He grabbed onto her arm to bring it closer to him to reveal the cuts, which were embedded underneath the cloth. "You want to add more cuts to yourself?"

Scarlet jerked back her arm but not without whacking Jin upside of the head with a growl. "First of all, that is none of your business what I do with my arm! And, second, why do you say such a thing about the demon? Is he bad?"

The wind demon rubbed the side of his face she had touched with an annoyed look at her. "As far as Yoko Kurama is concerned, he is not exactly your most 'loved' demon. Kurama himself even considers that half of him a sin and a burden. He is a heartless demon who enjoyed the smell of human blood poured on his temple's steps, until it became a putrid stench to him. He is not somebody you want to speak to unless you wish to die."

Her stomach churned at the mere thought of such a demon coming to her. Scarlet fidgeted slightly, worrying for her co-worker regardless of them not knowing one another for a long while. "So Kurama is a lot nicer than that counterpart?" She inquired.

"He is pretty much a completely different person," the wind demon answered. "He is a lot kinder than the fox version. But why would you want to talk to him for?"

"Jin, please don't go prying into my business, okay?" Scarlet begged with a slight narrow of her eyes. "Can you please just send him to me or something? It is urgent I talk to him."

"Okay, but you're not breaking your promise to come with me to see Teresa," Jin reminded her with a shake of his finger.

"I promise I won't," Scarlet stressed through her clutched teeth. She was getting rather irritated at the demon. "Now will you please leave so that I can finish my job?"

"Picky, picky," he chuckled, pushing himself up off of the desk. "I guess I will leave. And here I thought you wanted a guardian—somebody to watch over you. I guess I was wrong," Jin slightly teased as he cautiously waved for Touya to come with him.

Scarlet merely rolled her eyes, turning her focus back upon the magazine she had stretched out upon the glass countertop. Her cheek resting within her palm, she sighed irritably as she hoped that the demon would leave her in peace.

Once Jin and Touya were outside, the wind demon turned to the touchy ice master. "Why did you touch her if you didn't want her to know you were there? She can feel, you know. She isn't numb to that."

"I am sorry," Touya responded, pressing his finger close to his lips as he thought on Scarlet's energy. "I could just tell she sliced herself earlier in the day. Did you not sense it with her spirit humming quite loudly?"

"Yeah, I could tell," Jin responded with a slight shrug, looking back at Scarlet.

"And you didn't care to do anything about it?" Touya was confused a bit insulted at the fact Jin appeared to care less about it. "Jin, you are the only demon she can see now—why not try acting more like a demonic guardian 'God' to this woman and make sure she doesn't slice up her arm again!"

Jin scratched the back of his head, twisting his mouth to the side with a subtle hum in thought. "Alright, alright, but she hates that I keep harping on her already." His elfin ear wiggling at the swirling wind, Jin could hear a voice calling upon it. He turned his neck to gaze over his shoulder to the east in a soft alertness. "Touya, I need to go take care of something real fast. Do you think you could look after Scarlet for a little while? Also, if you could contact Kurama once she leaves work that would be great."

The ice demon sighed, his arms crossed over his chest. "Jin, I cannot stay here all day, you know that."

"You won't be," Jin promised with a toothy grin as he grabbed onto Touya's shoulders. "She doesn't stop working until five or so, goodbye for now!"

Jin spoke so fast that Touya hardly had a moment to spare when it came to words. Expressing his pouting face, Touya grumbled as he turned back towards the windows to look through the glass at the young girl. "You owe me for this one, Jin."

--

The sun began to gradually set behind the towering mountains later on in the afternoon. Some of the town's people were scurrying home due to the fog getting a bit thicker than usual at the early hour of the evening. The ice demon was resting against the windows of the magic store where Scarlet worked, sitting down on the concrete sidewalk as he waited for the young woman to leave the store. The wait boring him into a slight slumber, Touya's head hung between his arched legs.

A disturbing sound echoed throughout the streets just down the alleyway between the music store and dollar store on the opposite side of the street. It was a disoriented, grunting sound. Touya opened his narrow eyes to gaze across the foggy street into the darkened alleyway when the sound graced his ears.

Touya pushed himself up off of the cold ground as he kept his attention on the horrid noise. "A demon spirit is on the loose," he mumbled, clutching his fists tightly at his side. He didn't care to think twice about remaining at the store to wait for Scarlet. The safety of the town was more important than just one single person's life to him as he quickly ran across the street to take care of the problem.

The door of the Black Magic Store opened with a simple ring as Scarlet excused herself from her job with the night shift finally coming in. Blossom and Silvia exited the store with her, cigarettes in hand. Scarlet avoided the smoke the two puffed into the air as she examined the time on her wristwatch she put on that day.

"Well, I have to go to Teresa's house so that wind demon will stop bothering me," Scarlet mostly said to herself only to have the other two overhear.

"The wind demon is bothering you, is he?" Silvia pried, pulling the cigarette away from her mouth to blow the smoke upwards. "And who the hell is Teresa?"

"Teresa is some girl who is sick with cancer, and Jin wants to take me to see her, so I can talk to her," Scarlet explained. She couldn't help but express a simple frown at the mere mention of the two.

"I'd be careful with him," Blossom said, tapping the top of her cigarette twice before placing it back upon her lips. "Demons, whether 'gods' or not, are known to like human virgins, and I am sure he is just waiting to get you alone with your guard down."

"Please, demons like humans whether they are virgins are not," Silvia added with a scoff.

Blossom nudged Silvia with her elbow even if she herself found it slightly humorous. "But I would be careful, regardless. It could be your life on the line if you screw up with him."

"Please," Scarlet jeered with a roll of her eyes. "I can hardly stand the guy as it is. I highly doubt I will be spreading my legs to him anytime soon." Turning on her heels, the young woman headed down the street in hopes of meeting up with Jin so he could lead her to this young girl's house.

"Never say 'never'," Silvia joked next to Blossom as she leaned against the wavy, haired brunette. The two giggling girls headed for Blossom's car just down the sidewalk so they too could get underway.

Scarlet waved off their last words to her with a shake of her head. She watched cautiously as the sun wavered in the sky just beyond the mountains. Her feet skipping into a faster pace, she hoped to make it to Teresa's before the moon would rise to cloud her path. As she turned the corner just down the street, Scarlet inhaled sharply at the sudden appearance of the wind demon. She cupped her hand over her eyes to massage them before snapping at the demon, which now stood before her. "Jin, you scared me!" She hissed in a low whisper, so those nearby couldn't hear her.

Jin raised his brows at her with a throaty laugh at her reaction that he always found amusing. "Are you ready to go?" He asked with a wave of his hand. "It will be dark soon, so we need to hurry."

"What about Teresa's parents?" Scarlet asked as she skipped a few steps to catch up to the wind demon she had to follow clear across the town. "What am I going to say to them?"

"I will be there directing you," Jin said almost sternly as he walked onwards with his eyes fixed on the horizon. "Teresa's parents cannot see me. And as I told you, Teresa is expecting you, so do not worry. Damn, you worry too much." Running his fingers through his wild hair, he extended his hand to Scarlet, who was having difficulty keeping up.

Scarlet tensed at the offer and even stuck her nose up at it. "I am not a child. I don't need your hand to cross the street!"

"Goodness," Jin snorted with a shake of his head, taking back his hand. "Fine, but if you're going to be that slow, could you at least get on a bike next time?"

She said not a word to the impatient demon. Jogging most of the way through the town, Scarlet and Jin eventually made it to Teresa's home buried on the far side of town. It appeared to be a one story house just on the outskirts of a graveyard to the east of Wind Knoll. The fog appeared to remain there, refusing to budge even if the demon's wind touched it. It made Scarlet's skin crawl as foreign sounds seemed to originate from the graves beyond the broken fence.

"Does she actually live here?" Scarlet asked as she watched her step when walking through the thick fog, which clung to her knees. "This house almost seems parted from Wind Knoll."

"Indeed she does," Jin answered as he led the way. Jumping over a few small shrubs that were in the way, he headed for the small, wooden porch to wait for Scarlet. "Just knock on the door," he insisted in a soft whisper, once she made it to his side.

Scarlet made it to the top step with a shake of her head. "The lights are off. I don't want to wake them."

"They are not asleep," Jin insisted, there in the foggy darkness. The crickets chirping nearly drowned out his soft tone. "They don't have electricity out here. Her parents have to rely on candles, so the house is dimly lit."

Swallowing harshly to try and be rid of the lump of nervousness in her throat, Scarlet's knuckles rapped upon the wooden door. She cupped her elbows, moving from side to side anxiously at the sound of someone on the other side of the door.

The door opened to reveal the father of Teresa. He leaned against the doorway slightly with a rise of his bushy brows. "Hello, how can I help you?" He asked.

Scarlet looked up at Jin briefly to witness the demon nodding towards the man, signaling to hurry up. "I—um—I am looking for Teresa. Does she live here?"

The elder man scratching his beard, which was nearly as dark as the night, he opened the door a bit further to allow Scarlet to come inside. "Yes, she does. You must be Scarlet—the girl she has spoken of recently today."

As she made her way inside of the small house, she spared a nod to the father of Teresa in agreement. "Yes, I am Scarlet Baker. I came here to speak with your daughter, if that is okay with you." She looked at the many candles that littered the flat surfaces of the house. All were of different sizes, color, and shape. It made Scarlet think of her own bedroom lately, as she had the white candles all about her bedroom still from the time she summoned Jin.

"It is alright. Just don't stay too long, for she needs her rest," he said in return as he guided her down the hallway, which rested beyond the kitchen area. Teresa's father continued down the hallway, illuminated dimly in candlelight until coming to the middle door on the left. Knocking upon the door softly, he called to his daughter. "Teresa, Scarlet is here."

"Come in," Teresa responded, her voice muffled due to the door in between them.

The father turned to Scarlet, nodding towards the door that remained closed. "You may go in to speak with her. You may also let yourself out when you are done." Teresa's father excused himself, heading back down the corridor to go back to the living room where he currently had been resting for the night.

Jin hopped out of the way of the human man, watching him leave the scene before turning to Scarlet. "Go on," he encouraged with a gentle nudge to her side.

Scarlet hesitantly opened the door to invite herself into the bedroom of Teresa. Candles littered the inside of the girl's room as well as a few 'holy' items belonging in Jin's name. The room was fairly neat in appearance, from what could be made out in the slight darkness that the candles' light tried to chase off. Scarlet gazed at the bed, which rested beside a fairly large window. The dark curtains were tied shut with a sash, making the room even darker than the rest.

Teresa was in her bed, sitting upright with a booklet in her lap. Looking through the darkened room, she watched as the wind demon made his way over to her bedside first while Scarlet remained enthralled at the dancing candle flames. "It is good to see you again, Jin. I am glad you came."

Jin smiled briefly in the dim light, making himself comfortable there upon the bed covers. "I am glad you are feeling a bit better than before," he whispered in return.

Scarlet watched the two for awhile until a low, grunting sound of what seemed to be agony, came to her from outside. The sound disturbed her. Her eyes fixed upon the curtain beyond the bed, she witnessed a distorted shadow slowly creep across it. It stopped for a moment, as if to stare at those inside. Her heart pounding in fear, Scarlet backed up slightly with her eyes trying to make the noise go away.

Teresa followed Scarlet's gaze with a void expression. "You see them too, don't you?" She said finally to Scarlet, snapping the visitor out of her trance of fear. "They are always around here, especially with a graveyard nearby filled with souls of the damned."

Shaking her head, Scarlet looked at Teresa with a cock of her brow. "What—what are you talking about?"

Teresa turned her attention back on the curtains. Her bony fingers, which showed her sickness, wrapped about the sash that kept the curtains closed. The sash untying slowly, as if to tease Scarlet's overwhelming eagerness of wanting to know what was outside, it parted the curtains to show a damned being on the other side. The head, merely a head with no eyes for it to see and no hair whatsoever, attached to a hunched body covered in blood and dirt of some kind. The hands much larger than the entire body, it seemed, clawed upon the window in a twisted, sickening fashion with his jagged teeth bared for the girls to see.

Releasing a startled shriek, Scarlet covered her mouth as her back hit the vanity. The vanity shaking from the impact, some of the candles dared tilt over it hadn't been for Jin's wind to keep them where they were. "What the hell is that thing!" She demanded to know in a hushed whisper.

"It is a soul of the damned," Teresa answered without a wavering sound in her tone. "They are always waiting for me." She continued to watch the creature claw eagerly at the window with a muffled, low grunting sound of agony. "Because we have worshipped the damned for so long, all of us will suffer the same fate."

Scarlet's breath hitched at the words Teresa spared to her. Her eyes welled up in tears of fear as she shook her head slowly, not wishing to believe such.

"I see them outside my window every night. Their numbers get larger every day," Teresa continued, not showing any fear in what may happen to her. "I am waiting to die, so Jin may help me down to hell when my time here is over."

"You—you are insane," Scarlet muttered over the lump, which formed in her throat. "Why do you not get help for your sickness or at least stop worshipping the demons!"

The ill stricken girl turned to the wind demon as did the demon in return. "Not all demons are evil. No god would be next to me now in the flesh, helping me through such a time." She turned to look back at the terrified Scarlet. "Jin the Wind Master has helped me through this time, and I would rather die with the damned, who try to ease my suffering with their sinned hands, than live with the holy, who enjoy watching me die."

"You want to rein in hell…?" Scarlet inquired in confusion.

"I want to be loved in hell," Teresa corrected. "I want to serve Jin in the afterlife to repay his time with me then serve someone who didn't care up in heaven."

The candles at this time began to flicker ruthlessly under an eerie breeze Jin had no control over at the time. Scarlet watched as the light began to fade as some of the candles blew out one by one. The darkness seemed to creep across the wooden floor, like it was alive. Hands branched out from the floor as if to try and grab at Scarlet's ankles. Her palms pressed against the vanity behind her, she hefted herself up on the wooden furniture.

Her heart pounding louder than ever, she inhaled sharply several times during the tears she spilled. The room seemed to be painted black. Scarlet couldn't see the other two in the room with her, nor could she even hear them breath. It made her feel alone and scared. Her fingers gripping tightly onto the side of the vanity, she felt something sticky grace her trembling fingers. The candles quickly relighting themselves, Scarlet screamed briefly once more at the sight of the bedroom she could see yet again.

The room was smeared in blood on the walls and even on the floors as if to cover the slightly burned and musty wooden walls and floors. She gazed down at the vanity she was upon to see blood mating with her tensed palm. Jumping off of the vanity, she shook her hands to the best of her ability to try and be rid of the crimson liquid. "What the hell is this!"

"We are in hell all the time," Teresa announced from the bed she remained within. "You were shut off to it until you reawakened. Wake up, Scarlet," she seemed to insist with a slight clutch of her hands. "Wind Knoll shares this area with the demons and the damned. It has ever since it was built. It is not so bad. It will be paradise if we keep the demons pleased."

"P—Pleased…?" Scarlet wondered.

"The demon 'Lords' met," Jin interjected with a stern look upon his face. "They have voted on whether or not to destroy Wind Knoll for the ridiculous human sacrifices. So far, everyone is safe, but if one of the demons add in another 'yes' vote, everyone will be cursed, and this town will be a living hell for everyone."

Scarlet couldn't find her breath as she remained there in that room. "Jin…I want to go home…!" Was all she could manage to say with every labored breath she took before departing from the bedroom.


	9. Chapter 9

Scarlet wasted no time at all running out of the house, there in the dark, foggy woodland area where Teresa's house was. Running away from the home, she pulled her weak body to the nearest tree. She leaning against the cold bark of the tree, Scarlet inhaled a shaky breath before releasing it upon the cold wind. "Oh my God, oh my God," she murmured to herself silently. "I hate to say it, but my step-dad was right. We're merely worshipping our way to hell!"

His hand gracing the other side of the tree Scarlet was against, Jin peeked over at the frightened woman with a raise of his brow at her reaction. "You seem so startled."

Jin's voice gracing her ears, she jumped slightly, not expecting the wind demon to be so close since, last she saw him, he was in Teresa's room. Her hand gracing her rapidly beating heart, she wanted to scream in his face. "Of course I am! Why in the hell does that surprise you!" She exclaimed.

He pushed himself off of the tree, walking closer to the frightened human woman. "When you were baptized as a child, you should have been open to such sights," Jin explained, grabbing onto Scarlet's wrist to show her the baptism symbol of Touya once he removed the lengthy glove she had on. "Your mother baptized you under him when you were born, right?"

Scarlet jerked back her hand, hiding it from the demon with her other hand over the Celtic symbol. "She baptized me as soon as I was born in the temple."

Raising his brow, he looked at her through his wild red bangs, "So, you were born in the Ice Temple?"

Scarlet dug her fingers into the sides of her head with a growl rippling in her throat. "**YES**—what does it matter!" She shouted, releasing her hands from where they were.

Flinching slightly at her response, he brought the side of his index finger up to his lips with a hum in thought. "Tell me, did your mother say anything about your birth there? Because, normally, when babies are born in the temples, the priest or priestess will take the umbilical cord and place it in a safe place within the temple's walls."

Scarlet wasn't sure of such a practice as she showed her distaste for the adding information. "You mean the umbilical cord of my mother is in the temple walls? What does that have to do with anything?"

"A child is always connected to a mother with that cord," Jin explained. "I am sure you knew this. It has said that sometimes what the mother experiences, the child will in return with such a bond and vise versa. With your mother seeing what she does, I am sure she sends some of it unknowingly to you as well and has all of her life and even in the afterlife. And as I said before, some people are special in that, after they are baptized, their eyes open further and they get to see the atmosphere that they share with those in the afterlife."

Her fist clutched tightly at her side, she kept a stern look upon the redheaded demon before her with a hesitant shake of her head. "I don't remember seeing such things in all of my life…not until now." Her tone hissed with a building rage as she spoke. Touching the bare chest of the wind demon, she glared up at him. "And how dare you—I wanted to come here to merely help Teresa and instead, you have the nerve to make her tell me that my mother is now rotting in hell!"

Jin raised his hands with a shake of his head. "Hey, I didn't tell her to say anything. I just told her to speak with you about why she wanted to remain in Wind Knoll."

"Then why didn't you tell me she was **_psycho_**!" Scarlet hissed as she pushed her way past Jin.

"Just because you don't understand her, doesn't mean she is crazy," Jin said from behind Scarlet before using his speed to dash in front of her, frightening her once more from him suddenly reappearing. "Right now, I am the only thing that can watch over her and protect her soul when she dies. As you saw, those monsters outside of her window want to beat her soul and even rape her. The only way I can make sure she passes safely over is to be with her; especially with her soul calling out so loudly lately."

"If she wasn't worshipping creatures like you, she wouldn't have to worry about such a thing," Scarlet pointed out as she pushed Jin aside once more to make it for the town she could just barely see in the distance.

"Do you honestly think some 'God' would be willing to help ease your pain and be there for you to help you safely to the gates of heaven or hell?" Jin asked bluntly, halting Scarlet in her stride. Furrowing his brow in slight aggravation, he bared his teeth for a moment as he continued. "The heaven, you humans have thought of, escalated into its own fantasy world over the years, just as we, the demons, have in appearance!" He pointed at her, regardless of the fact she refused to turn around. "Wrap your human mind around this, Scarlet Baker—souls leave the body as soon as it can no longer function, and it disperses to where it sees fit within this world, only in the spiritual realm separate from the living so that the living and the dead cannot mingle and sprout more demons of hate. You do not go to this 'heavenly' world high within the clouds. There is no such place!"

Turning around on her heels, she shook her head in disbelief. "Then why is there a hell of all places?"

"Because the living creates such souls and even recycles them into those being created within the womb of a mother," Jin explained. "The damned walk the afterlife as well as walk this plain. You of all people should know this, for your stepfather is one of those demonic souls."

Widening her eyes, Scarlet hitched in breath at the remembrance of her stepfather.

"He beats and abuses you with his words just as any demonic soul would in the afterlife if they dared get a hold of you," Jin continued. "His soul has been recycled from the hellish plain that this town was built upon. He doesn't want to admit to it, but he is no better than those monsters you see and hear every time you sleep."

She gazed down at the ground covered in fog, refusing to believe she was on hell's ground though all of the signs were awfully clear. "What about you?" She finally asked, looking up through her messy, bi-colored hair, which clung to her face. "Why have you not been able to be reborn as another or at least be forgiven of your sins and be freed from hell?"

"You make it sound so simple," Jin expressed with a somberly sigh, scratching the back of his head. "I may have come to terms with my 'sins', but I have no reason to rebirth my soul."

Scarlet felt uncomfortable within the situation as she embraced her chilled form. "Can you just guide me home…I don't want to be here anymore…," she pleaded in quiet words that only demon ears could hear.

Jin swallowed whatever words he wanted to give to her, heading past her with a subtle wave to the right. "Come on. I have to get you home regardless, for it is late."

The night air feeling colder than usual, Scarlet kept her body embraced within her own arms as she walked behind the wind demon somberly. Sniffling back the sadness, which enveloped her, she dragged her feet against the stiff ground. Her stomach churned at the thoughts of the disfigured demons she had witnessed and would share the afterlife with due to her fate in Wind Knoll. Cupping her mouth, Scarlet turned to the side to purge the fear that had crippled her body.

--

The curtains covering Scarlet's cracked window, Jin flew up towards the windowsill as the young girl, he was watching, snuck through the house to get to her bedroom without disturbing her father. Her slender fingers gripping the doorknob, she twisted it silently to close the door to her bedroom.

Jin watched from the windowsill, where he was squatting, noticing her sad frown that was clearly upon her face. "I am sorry that what Teresa said dampened your spirit," he expressed. He slipped through the window with his feet landing upon her carped floor. "You just need to stop listening to the fantasies that your human kind fill your head with."

Scarlet scoffed at him with a shake of her head as she headed for the bathroom. "Thanks for being sensitive." Closing the door behind her, she rested her palms upon the sides of the sink, lowering her head in despair. She gripped onto the handles of the faucet to turn the water on so that it could warm up. Scarlet gazed at her reflection within the mirror on her cabinet before opening it to hunt through her makeup and pills to pull out one that she hadn't bothered with in years—her antidepressants. Her hands shaking from the images still plaguing her mind, she unscrewed the cap quickly to look at how many she had left.

Counting at least twenty-five or so, she screwed the top back on before placing it back into the cabinet though with slight hesitation. She closed the cabinet with a sigh, cupping her hands beneath the warmed water to splash it upon her face to try and relax. As the warm water seeped about her skin, she felt it turn a bit warmer once it made contact with her pallid flesh. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked at her hands to the crimson blood, which was not her own.

Her hands trembling from the blood apparently dripping from her fingers, she gazed at the faucet water to watch as the sticky fluid continued to pour from the silver valve and cling to the marble sink. Shaking her head at the sight, she tried to make herself believe it wasn't real though the feel of the substance touching her fingers told her otherwise. She turned on her heels, once she could feel her feet again, with her hands still slightly outstretched before her.

Jin was sitting upon Scarlet's bedcovers with his pinky nail rubbing against his lower incisor. He spying the frightened girl out of the corner of his eye, he turned to her to see the blood on her hands. Quickly he pushed himself off of the bed he was upon to rush over to her. "Oh jeez," he hissed in shock, grabbing onto Scarlet's tensed wrist to guide her over to the bed.

Scarlet sat upon her bed, still gazing at her hands as they shook from the sight of someone else's blood on them. The feel of a towel soon touching her blooded fingers snapped her out of her trance. "What the hell is this? You can see this too?" She asked quietly.

"Anyone can that is connected and open to seeing the hell that this town was built upon," Jin answered, working meticulously to clean her fingers and palms.

"Why is this happening to me…?" Scarlet asked quietly. "Why is this happening to me!" She practically screamed with tears nearly.

Jin stared at her wide-eyed with her outburst, wanting to warn her to be quiet, but he was too late to do so. Scarlet's stepfather's fist met with the other side of the door, startling him as he looked over at the door. "Dammit," he hissed, moving from beside the frightened human girl to the other side of the bed so he couldn't be in the way.

The door flew open as Chris stepped through the doorway to witness Scarlet sitting there on her bed with her arms slightly bend before her. "What the hell is your problem!" He demanded to know from where he was standing.

Scarlet looked at her stepfather, showing her hands, which were still covered slightly in blood stains, to him. "Do…do you not see…!"

Chris shook his head as he spat at her weird attitude. "All I see is your fat ass sitting there on the bed! Now shut up already so that I can go to sleep!" Storming back towards the door, he pointed back at his stepdaughter. "Open your mouth like that one more time and you'll regret it!" The door slammed behind him, leaving Scarlet and Jin alone once more.

Jin sighed as he moved back over towards Scarlet. "You know your stepfather is dense," he murmured, placing his hand on her shoulder. "He cannot see what you do."

"Just please leave," Scarlet begged, lowering her hands back down to her thighs. "I need to be alone…"

He sucked in his lower lip in thought at Scarlet's tone, sighing through his nostrils. "Alright…alright, I will leave you alone. Just promise me you won't do something stupid," he begged as he headed for the window.

Scarlet gazed at the wall opposite to her with an empty expression. "I don't have to promise you anything…"

Jin lowered his foot from the windowsill he was about to slip through, turning around with his arms across his chest. "Then I don't have to promise to leave."

She was tired. Scarlet didn't have the energy to fight with the demon at that moment as she searched for her remote control, so she could turn the television on. "Then stay if you want to. I don't care what you do right now," she mumbled, resting her head against the pillow resting on her bed's wooden frame.

The television's picture coming on clearly, the volume was on low. Jin looked at what she had on before gazing at her on the bedcovers. "Well, if you don't care, I guess I will," he replied, shocked by her dull response on the matter.

He sat down upon the chair before her writing desk, eyeing the picture of her mother. The frame shining off of the light of the lamp he turned on, he attempted to make Scarlet forget about what she had endured. "So this is your mother?"

Scarlet looked over at Jin unenthusiastically to eye the picture before looking back at the television she had turned on. "Yes," she answered simply.

Jin gazed at the young woman in the picture frame. His fingers touching the glass, which protected the image, he placed it back down where he found it. With a grunt, Jin got off of the chair he was on to head over to the bed Scarlet was upon to make himself comfortable. Once he did so, he was handed the remote. "Why are you giving this to me?" He asked with a slight chortle of curiosity.

"You can watch what you want," she mumbled once more, turning to her side to bring the pillow close to her face. "I am too tired to care to watch television right now."

"Then why not turn it off?" Jin asked, doing so without an answer. "And if you're going to sleep, why not change clothes?" He reached for her steadily. "Or you could at least—."

Scarlet quickly raised her hand to Jin's touch and words. "Do _not_ touch me," she ordered in a slight irritable tone. "Just leave me alone by being quiet."

Jin retracted his hands with a shrug. "Okay, fine, if that is what you want." Lying back on the covers of the bed, the wind demon turned to his side so he could face Scarlet's back to keep a close eye on her considering how depressed she appeared.

--

The hours clicking by on her alarm clock next to her, Scarlet could hear the deep, throaty snorting that Jin was doing behind her. Through the darkness of her room, she gazed over her shoulder at the sleeping demon, surprised to see him still there. Slightly aggravated, she pushed herself from being aside the slightly loud demon.

Once on her feet, she couldn't help but look once more back at Jin to make sure he was sleeping. She could clearly see he was drooling from where she stood in the densely lit space. From where she was, she also took care in glancing at the picture frame, which held the picture of her mother. The tears of despair welling up within her eyes, she shook her head and turned quickly for the bathroom.

She quietly closed the door behind her so as not to wake the slumbering demon. Her palms touched the cold marble of the sink once more. The bi-colored strands of her hair slipped from the hair tie she had try to keep them back within in. Reaching for her cabinet, she opened it to pull out her antidepressants without hesitation this round. The medicine she held was given to her when her mother had passed away, but Scarlet refused to take it until the darkness overtaking her became too much for her to handle. She felt it did little good after awhile of still feeling misery over her mother's passing, and thus, she stopped taking it.

Emptying five of them onto her palm, she grabbed one of the cups nearby to fill it with water. Throwing back the ones on her palm within her mouth, she aided them down her throat with the water she took. She covered her mouth to cough within it at feeling five pills being forced down her throat. Her fingers gripping onto the side of the sink, she looked over her shoulder to make sure that the demon was where she hoped he might be before continuing.

Jin remained upon the bed snoring away with his hands sprawled out near his head. His elfin ear twitched slightly at the sound of a soul singing softly at first before escalating into a sweet, eerie soprano melody. His eyes blinking open quickly, he wiped the drool from his mouth before sitting upright upon the bed wondering where the melody was coming from seeing as it was so deafening. Scratching the back of his head, he looked over next to him where Scarlet was last he remembered. He seeing she wasn't there made him slightly panic. "Scarlet…? Scarlet…!" He called as he hopped off of the bed. His eyes coming upon the closed bathroom door, which was outlined in the lights on the other side, he opened it quickly to make his way to Scarlet.

The sight of the bathroom looked awfully distorted. Blood lined the cracks within the rusted walls and the broken marble. A disgruntled moan of a damn soul could be heard from somewhere within the room as others appeared to howl angrily outside of the house. Scarlet was resting wearily upon the toilet seat from taking the rest of the antidepressants she had neglected. The chill of the toilet seat was somewhat comforting to her as her body began to shake slightly from minor convulsions.

"Dammit," he hissed, kneeling down behind her. His arms wrapped about her stomach gently, he pulled her off of the toilet seat to lift it up out of her way. "Alright, you troublesome woman, cough it up!" Knowing she was too weak to fight with him, he grabbed onto her mouth, so he could make her throw up to be rid of whatever had yet to dissolve inside of her stomach.

Scarlet's throat flexed when it felt the demon's finger pressing in her throat. She pulled from his hands, throwing up what she had consumed recently with an added cough afterwards. Some of the medicine she had taken still inside of her, she shook with a shaky inhale and exhale of her labored breathing.

Jin sighed as he picked up Scarlet from the tile floor to take her back to the bed. He could hear and smell, thanks to her fear pheromones, how scared she was as he worked on undressing her a little bit, so she could be more comfortable under the bedcovers. "Shhh, you'll be okay," he assured her with a whisper.

"What…what is that sound…?" Scarlet asked through her labored breathing, her ears catching the sound of the dead outside wishing to come to take her soul, which was still singing to them.

"Your soul is singing to them," Jin said, as he removed her shirt. "It is attracting them to you." He helped Scarlet under the bedcovers once he pulled them back. "Where are your pajamas or nightgown—whatever it is you sleep in?"

Scarlet wearily pointed off to the side of her television where her dresser was. "Please…don't let them in here…," she begged from where she struggled to stay awake.

Jin pulled out a white, nightshirt and a baggy pair of black pants before heading over to Scarlet. "Well, then you don't make much sense," he said bluntly as he tried to help her get ready for sleep at least. "Why would you try to kill yourself if you don't want to be overtaken by the damned?"

She let the demon help put her shirt over her head and her arms through the armholes as she was too tired to do it herself. Her eyes stared blankly at the wall opposite to her with a subtle shake of her head. "I wanted to know I was awake…"

"Next time you want to know if you're awake, tell me, and I will gladly slap you," Jin said seriously though slightly joking. The door to the hallway began to creek steadily open as Jin continued to try and help her get ready for bed. The moan of the hinges caught the redhead's attention; he looked over his shoulder at the slowly opening door to spy a beast of hell standing there at the doorway.

The dog of hell stood there gazing up at the two on the bed with a snarl of his jagged teeth. His eyes were as red as blood and his skin was all there was to see as the creature was furless expect for his face were his bones were clearly shown on the right side of his face where his skin was missing. The creature's legs were bandaged, obviously to keep his body together as it appeared to be threatening to break apart. When he lifted his head up from the ground, another mouth was present upon his chest—snarling just the same though bleeding constantly.

Scarlet threatened to scream at the sight of the beast only to have Jin cover her mouth quickly to prevent her from doing so.

"Be quiet!" He demanded in a soft though serious tone. "If you scream, your father will beat you. Let me take care of this. Just promise me you won't scream."

She nodded her head quickly, wanting Jin to hurry and be rid of the beast.

Jin excused himself from the bed once more, heading over to the dog, which guarded the gates of hell. "She is not ready for you," he said sternly, waving his hands at the beast like he would for a normal dog. "Shoo—get!"

The dog didn't listen as he snarled at Jin, releasing a horrifying, warped screeching cry from the depths of his throat. Keeping his teeth apparent, he snapped at the demon with a few furious barks.

Standing upright before the creature, Jin extended his arm to the hell guardian.

Continuing to snarl, the dog broke Jin's tough demonic skin with his bite making his blood bubble forth from the cracked surface.

Scarlet hitched in breath, covering her mouth at the sight of the dog actually doing such a thing to the demon, and the demon apparently allowing him to do so. "What are you doing!" She asked in a high whisper.

Jin didn't move. He glared at the devil dog with a serious expression, showing the beast he was much stronger than him. The very sight of such a stare would make a lesser person's blood run cold in terror.

The dead dog continued to growl at Jin until noticing the demon wasn't flinching under his bite. Releasing his teeth from the wound be created, he bowed his head obediently and backed away on his bleeding paws. Tucking his bony tail in between his legs, he turned around and headed back towards the entrance of the house.

"Is he gone…?" Scarlet asked, as she shivered under the covers of the bed she was practically hiding under.

Jin crawled onto the bedcovers, making his way over to the frightened girl with a nod. "Yes, he is gone. Even in the afterlife they are obedient though they can be bastards." Placing his hand over her chest, he felt of her spirit to see it was threatening to pull from her body. "Whatever you took, it sure did a number on you. Seeing as your body and soul is little struggling to stay together right now, I guess I better stay up and make sure it doesn't slip. I barely caught it when it was singing to me."

"What about your arm?" She asked, lying down to attempt to relax.

He looked at the wound she was referring too, scrunching his nose up at the wound. "It's not important. Don't worry about it." Sighing, he looked back at the cracked door and then the window. "I will have to close those. Critters from hell can easily slip through them."

Scarlet moved her head over towards Jin's nearest thigh, placing her arm over his lap. "You seriously watch others die?" She asked almost in a trance.

Jin, slightly surprised by her movement, he offered her a shrug. "Sometimes," he answered. "Most times I try to stop them from dying, because I know this is the last place they want to be." He paused, listening to the sounds emitting throughout Wind Knoll. "I know Teresa wants to die already, and she tells me she is ready for it, but a part of me knows she is lying. She is scared to walk hell alone or even with me."

"But I thought she would always be with you," she murmured.

"I would have to keep her soul stored up in my temple where she would be safe," Jin explained. "I cannot be with her or the others all the time. I have those who are dying and still alive walking this plain, and I need to protect them."

"Why doesn't your kind just curse us all now for the hell we have caused?"

He was silent at her question. Placing his hand upon her shoulder, he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Because you and everyone else shouldn't have to suffer for the wrongs of others." Rubbing her shoulder, he released it knowing that Scarlet didn't want to be touched. "Go to sleep. Don't worry about the monsters you hear. I will keep them away."

Scarlet looked at the television set at the foot of her bed for awhile in thought. Her hand gripping onto Jin's left thigh, she closed her eyes in attempts to sleep. The sound of the dead souls continued to howl and groan in high and low tones just outside her house, making her nervous. Eventually her fingers did feel those of the demon beside her as they intertwined with one another.


	10. Chapter 10

Jin remained by Scarlet's side throughout the night hours that evening. He waited until the demonic souls outside would leave her front yard and stop trying to find ways to sneak inside to rip her soul from her body. Eventually the demons could hardly be heard, and Scarlet's soul stopped singing to them—the spirit lowered in tenor. However, Jin's senses started to pick up a demon soul silently wandering up the stairs within the Baker's house. He got on edge at the feel of the energy level before relaxing once more to see it was only his partner, Touya.

"Touya, what are you doing here?" Jin asked softly, his hand remained behind Scarlet's head to cradle her there in his lap.

The ice demon walked into the bedroom to look around with a slight hum at the décor. He recognized it from a few years back—it appeared a good bit had weathered and changed. "I was looking for you, and wondering what you were doing here as well." Noticing the blooded arm, which was bitten by one of the guardians of hell, Touya pointed at it. "What happened?"

Jin looked at his injured arm. "Oh, one of the hellhounds made it in here, and I had to make him leave." He rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, sighing through his nostrils. "Scarlet nearly overdosed her life away, and it called to the beasts."

Touya made it over to the bedside to sit upon the musty covers, which apparently needed washing. "I remember this place," he said continuing to gaze over the bedroom. "It sure has changed over the years. It didn't always use to be this unkempt."

The redhead ran his fingers through Scarlet's stringy hair, humming slightly at Touya's words. "Well, everything here has gone to hell. Without her mother here, she apparently has no reason to live."

"Then why would you want me to meet with her about her mother?" Touya asked with a muffled chuckle. He turned to the demon on the bed, lying down on his side to get comfortable. "You know if I tell her anything it will just throw her overboard."

"Just talk to her," Jin urged with a pleading expression. "What was her mother's name?"

"Cynthia—Cynthia Leanne Baker," Touya answered, scratching an annoying spot within his sky blue hair.

"Scarlet just wants to know that Cynthia is okay, even if she is in hell," Jin explained in a hushed whisper so as not to wake the sleeping Scarlet. "Teresa already told her where the citizens of Wind Knoll go. That was why she went pill-popping crazy and nearly died. The worst is over. At least I think it is."

Touya couldn't help but laugh with a shake of his head. "That is the thing, Jin; you don't know when the worst is over with her!" He massaged his forehead where he felt a headache forming. "If you reveal anything to her, it easily shatters her! The news could be as small as a trickling river to us, but it is as big as a boulder resting on her shoulders no matter what the news is. You just don't know how she will react!"

Jin sniffed a bit to clear his sinuses. "Touya, what is the worst that could happen? If she dies from the news you give her, she dies. At least she will be with the woman she cares for."

"But here is the problem," Touya pointed out, grabbing gently onto Scarlet's wrists to flip them over. "She is double marked. Who is going to watch over her when she passes?" Very rarely were people double baptized. But that wasn't to say that it didn't happen.

Feeling the cold of Touya's hand made Scarlet silently awake there in Jin's lap. Her hair covered her slightly opened eyes; she listening to the only part of the conversation she could hear.

"If you want, I will watch over," Jin whispered to the ice demon, which Scarlet couldn't see or hear. "I can watch over her for a hundred years or so, and you can take her for the next hundred." His fingers continued to rake through Scarlet's hair. "It's not a problem with me either way."

"At least that way she will get to spend time with her mother in my temple," Touya said as he pushed himself up from the bedcovers. Walking over towards the door, he opened it once more to let himself into the hallway. "Alright, if you bring her by the temple tomorrow night, I will talk to her. You just have to promise me you will at least be nearby incase she goes bananas."

"I promise," Jin laughed softly, raising his hand to stop Touya from saying anything further.

Touya shut the door quietly behind him as he headed out of the Baker's house.

Jin remained in the bedroom for a little while longer until feeling it was time for him to leave as well. Cradling Scarlet's head, he moved out from underneath her to place her head gently on the pillow below, unaware she was awake still from the touch by the ice demon previously. Sliding off of the bed, he moved the covers up to her shoulders. "There—you should be safe now, so don't worry about the demons."

He headed over towards the doorway to examine the brownish-white paint on the woodwork. Bringing up his middle and index finger with his thumb, he started to move them about in a weird fashion from side to side and up and down before finally bringing them all the way up to the top of the doorway corner to bring it down slowly to the bottom corner.

"That should do it," he murmured vaguely to himself. "This way no more of those hellhounds can make it into the bedroom while I am away."

Turning on his heels, he made his way to the window, which was still cracked. He opened it further to allow himself outside. Jin said not another word as he closed the window behind him this time, not taking any chances when it came with the creatures outside Scarlet's bedroom. With it shut, the wind demon took off for his temple upon the wind he gathered from Wind Knoll.

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Scarlet had a difficult time sleeping, but eventually found herself dozing off only to have the red numbers upon the clock show it was noon. She didn't have to work that day, so it wasn't a problem that she had slept so late. Massaging her forehead, which was pounding slightly from the overdose trip last night, Scarlet moaned slightly under the covers at the feel of the light outside pouring through her window.

"It's too bright," she grumbled, covering her eyes with her hand for a moment.

The wind blew harshly against the closed windows on the left side of Scarlet's bed, making the curtains move on the other side. Jin made it to the windowsill of the young woman's bedroom window. Opening it up from the other side with his strength, he slipped inside to find Scarlet groaning under the covers. "I see you are still in bed. Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"No work today," she grumbled, putting the pillow over her head.

"What about college? Don't you go to college?" Jin asked coming over to the bed to feel of Scarlet's forehead.

"I dropped out. No doubt I have been withdrawn from my courses since I haven't shown up in awhile," she answered with a yawn.

"Do you plan on getting up at all?" Jin inquired as he pulled the pillow off of Scarlet's head. "You need to at least eat something considering your failed suicide attempt last night."

"I am too tired to move," Scarlet groaned, searching for her pillow, which Jin took from her. Blinking her eyes up at the wind demon, she growled at him slightly. "Give me my pillow back, you bastard."

Jin tossed the pillow at Scarlet, letting it hit her in the face gently as he did so. "Alright, I guess I will just pop downstairs and find something for you to eat." He walked over towards the door to open it slowly to let himself outside. "So what exactly **_do_** you eat?" The wind demon asked with a scratch of his head.

"I don't care," Scarlet grumbled as she fixed herself back under the covers. "Just make me something to eat if that is your wish." Truthfully Scarlet couldn't care less about eating at that moment. Her body was still trying to recuperate after the overdose. She was also still trying to make sense of the conversation she only heard half of last night when she woke, seeing as she could only feel the ice demon.

Jin sighed with a shake of his head at her irritation over him still before finally departing for the kitchen. He made his way down the stairs to see if the house was clear on the lower level before bothering to make anything for Scarlet. Jin knew if Chris Baker was awake and within a room nearby it would cause problems if objects were caught moving on their own. He traveled cautiously up and down the lower level's hallway to check each room before realizing the man wasn't there.

Making his way back to the kitchen, he opened the cabinets to search for what was left in the house. He was more or less surprised to find hardly much to work with, but Jin found a few pasta noodles, shrimp left in the fridge, with broccoli, and alfredo sauce in there as well. "This will just have to do for now, I guess," Jin sighed, closing the cabinets he had left opened on his way to the stove.

Scarlet remained upstairs for the time Jin stayed downstairs to make something for her to eat. It would be an hour or two before her door would reopen to reveal the wind demon with the meal he had prepared. From where she was hiding under the covers, Scarlet could smell it—prompting her to move from her covers slightly. Her weary, gray-green eyes looked at the tray he held with the plate on top filled with a type of meal she never had before in awhile. "Since when did you learn to cook?" Scarlet asked.

Jin chuckled as he sat on the bedside to place the tray on the space he eventually emptied out on her nearby nightstand. "What, you thought I couldn't cook?" He wondered.

"You don't appear the type," she honestly answered as she sat upright in bed to look at the pasta dish he managed to make.

"Well, when I was human, I used to cook for myself and my friends," Jin answered, shaking his hands a bit from the heat, which was bugging them. "It's a trait I haven't left behind among several others."

"Is the annoyance another?" Scarlet asked as she brought the warmed plate over to her lap. Looking at the dish before her, she couldn't help but conflict with her feelings in wanting to eat it or just wanting to sit and stare at it to remember old times.

"Funny," Jin chuckled with a roll of his eyes. Remaining upon the covers of the bed, which belonged to Scarlet, he noticed the subtle sadness in the young woman's eyes at the mere look of the dish he had made. He tilted his head to the side. "Is something wrong with the food?"

"No, no," she replied with a shake of her head. "It's just…my mom used to make this meal a lot when she was alive…" The thought of her mom brought Scarlet to look over at her desk where she usually wrote in her journal to spy the picture of her mother from long ago. Sighing through her nostrils, she picked up the fork and started to fiddle with the noodles and the shrimp bites.

Jin hummed somberly at her saddened tone before snapping his fingers in remembrance at the conversation he had last night with Touya. "Speaking of your mother, I just spoke with Touya the other night, and he will be willing to meet with you to talk to you about her."

Digging into the food set before her, she took a taste of the meal finding it to not be bad at all. "So that was who you were talking to the other night? I woke up and heard you speaking to someone, but I didn't hear anybody talk back." Scarlet shrugged. "I figured you were chatting with another spirit."

The redhead managed a soft laugh in the back of his throat. "I figured you might be awake once he touched you." He lied down upon the bed there in front of him in attempts to rest with his arms overlapped behind his head. "I just didn't say anything at the time."

As Scarlet continued to eat the pasta dish, her eyes wandered a bit in thought as she remembered what Blossom and Silvia said that evening at the store. "Jin, is it true that demons like to rape virgin women who are humans?"

Jin furrowed his brow in confusion at Scarlet's random question. He turned his head slightly to look over at her from where he continued to lie. "Pardon?"

She fiddled with the noodles on her plate with a hum. "Well, Silvia and Blossom told me to be careful, because demons love virgin, humans."

Sniffling to clear his sinuses, Jin rubbed his nose slightly as he wondered how to put his explanation. "Well, the only 'raping' you would get from a demon would be from those twisted souls you see crawling around town. As far as love making goes, there are some demons, who prefer human bodies over demonic ones."

"Why?" Scarlet asked, nibbling on a piece of shrimp. "What is the difference?"

Jin couldn't help but laugh at her question. "There is a big difference between the living and the dead. While a demon can be seen in a flesh form, all demons are fallen angels and are technically dead creatures. We can have sex with our own kind, but it isn't the same as having it with a living, breathing human being." Turning on his side, he rested his knuckles against his cheek. "Some demons do so to retain energy or to get more energy from the living. Others do it because of sex with a human being is like being alive again."

"Have you ever done it with a human?" Scarlet asked curiously.

"No," Jin answered in a laugh. "I am as you say—a male virgin?"

"Wow, that is surprising," Scarlet mumbled as she finished up the food in her possession. "And here I thought you possibly threw your body out there for women being a free spirit and all. I guess I was wrong."

The demon pushed himself off of the bed to grab the finished plate but not without taking a pillow, which was upon the floor to whack Scarlet with gently. "I have no reason to spread my legs to a woman I do not love. And not all demons are sex, craving maniacs like some of your human men."

Scarlet grabbed the pillow back to whack Jin in return.

"I will just take care of these," Jin grunted once he was smacked with the pillow in return. "So where do I put them?"

"Just rinse them off and put them in the dishwasher," Scarlet sighed with a shake of her head. "Seriously, didn't they have dishwashers when you were alive?"

He shrugged at her as he turned to head for the door. "Not really—I was born years ago. Anyways, just promise me you will get ready for the trip to the temple tonight. I told Touya I would bring you to him." Jin headed for the doorway to let himself back out into the upper hallway.

Exhaustion coming over her once more, Scarlet turned onto her side and lied down under her covers. A part of her was slightly eager to head to the ice demon's temple to ask of her mother, but another dreading it. The energy had built up enough to the point where she eventually wore herself out, and Scarlet closed her eyes to go to sleep.

--

The fog gathered late within the night as the large clock in town chimed on the seventh hour. Stores closed around 6:30, allowing for those who were working to get home in time before the fog became too thick to see through. The streets silent once more, Scarlet remained asleep from the exhaustion she was feeling from not eating well. The murmur of her TV, which Jin turned on later within the afternoon, kept her asleep.

Jin caught the time on Scarlet's clock from where he was sitting at the foot of the bed. "That girl is still asleep," he mumbled, scratching the side of his head as he made it over to the nightstand close to where Scarlet was resting. His hand resting upon her side, Jin shook her gently. "Scarlet, wake up already. It is time to go to Touya's temple."

Moaning, Scarlet opened her eyes slightly before rubbing the sleep from them. "What time is it?" She asked, grabbing onto her clock to check the time herself. "Damn, it is late. Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"You looked peaceful, and I didn't want to bother you," Jin said in his defense, throwing the covers off of Scarlet's body. "Now let's go."

Scarlet moved her bare feet to her carpeted floor below. "At least let me get freshened up. I look like shit." She headed for the bathroom with a yawn and stretch.

"We're just going to Touya's temple; we're not going to dinner," Jin felt need to point out as he sat down upon the messy, bedcovers with his arms crossed in a pouting fashion.

Scarlet ignored him as she got ready within the bathroom anyway. After she had managed to brush her hair and teeth nervously, considering the situation, she made her presence known before the wind demon so that they could depart. Taking a candle from her stash, she showed it off to the wind demon with a brief smile. "All ready—let's go."

Jin hefted himself up off of the bedside, nodding towards the cracked doorway. "Come then. He is expecting us."

As soon as the two stepped outside of the house, Scarlet lit the candle to help guide her way with the wind demon, who would part the thick fog a bit for them both. The roads eerily silent, only the swinging of old, rickety signs could be heard amongst some brave crickets, which were within the town's limits. The disgruntle moans of the dead brought Scarlet closer to the wind demon as she heard them throughout Wind Knoll as well.

Feeling Scarlet holding onto his closest arm, Jin looked down at her with a subtle sigh through his nostrils. "Don't worry about the demons you hear. They cannot get to you with me here."

"Are you honestly that strong?" Scarlet asked, gazing up at him from where she was huddling close by.

Jin chuckled with a shrug at the young woman. "You'd be surprised."

The giant, marble crafted, double doors opened steadily thanks to Jin pushing against them. The blue candles continuing to blaze throughout the temple, illuminating some of the followers, who apparently didn't make it home and were intent on staying behind the marble walls. Some of the people slept upon the pillows in the main room. Scarlet looked at them as she passed by with a whisper to the demon beside her.

"Why are some people here?" She asked, keeping her sight on those who were within the temple walls. "I have never seen this many in here before."

Jin eyed the people nearby with a smile to the human close to him. "The temples are always opened to people who wish to stay—even weary travelers who stumble upon Wind Knoll by mistake." He pointed to some of the humans behind the marble walls. "These people, who you see, are actually not regular citizens of Wind Knoll."

"What!" Scarlet exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "But, that is damn near impossible! People cannot find their way through the fog without your help!"

Jin couldn't help but spare a laugh to her. "Honey, the wind works whether I am awake or not. I am just a messenger of the wind—I can bend the wind to my will. That doesn't mean that if I am asleep or with somebody else, the currents cannot find their way." He made his way to the hallway on the far left of the temple, which led to many open rooms for visitors, worshippers, and workers of the temple. "You humans are so laughable with your assumptions."

Scarlet followed behind Jin carefully, seeing as she had never been in the temple too many times before. She turned many corners within the scattered hallways until stopping right behind Jin at a door, which was designed in the finest, blue marble—the entry almost appearing to be encased in ice. A cold chill emitted from the doorway, making Scarlet's teeth chatter.

The demon placed his hand gently on her upper chest. "Wait here," he ordered in a whisper, heading for the door just down the blue carpeted hallway they were within. The blue lit candles danced to and fro, outlining the muscular demon's every curve as he sauntered up towards the mystical door. His knuckles rapped upon the door before allowing himself inside.

The chill got worse as the door remained cracked. Scarlet embraced herself and shivered from where she stood. She listened in on the conversation she could hear going on inside of the room Jin was within. It was slightly muffled, however, due to the two demons obviously whispering. Getting a bit impatient with the cold really biting at her body, she called to the wind demon. "Jin, I am freezing! Will you please hurry up?"

Jin eventually reappeared in the hallway where Scarlet was apparently freezing from the cold the ice demon was emitting. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "Touya always uses an ice barrier about his room to keep people out unless he is expecting someone. He will lower it now." Jin headed onwards down the hallway to head back to the temple's main room.

"Wait—where are you going!" Scarlet asked with her breath apparent on the cold air.

Feeling a tug at his arm, Jin looked over at the frightened human with a brief chuckle. "I am going to be in the main room up front. I am not leaving you. Just go talk to Touya." Wiggling his arm free, he headed back down the many maze like hallways to get back to the front where he promised he would wait.

Scarlet rubbed her arms to warm them up as she headed for the cracked door just up ahead. The cold seemed to disappear the closer she got to where the ice demon was waiting for her. Placing her bony, pallid fingers on the door, she opened it further to reveal the room, which was hardly ever viewable to even worshippers of the demon. Her eyes widened at the sight of the crystals that littered the room and shined when the candlelight caressed them. The desks were covered in candles, mystical trinkets, and hand sewn blankets. One of the blankets catching her eye, Scarlet hurried over towards the chair in the center of the room.

"Oh my God," she inhaled sharply. "My mom made this…!" Scarlet recognized the blanket from when she was growing up in her mother's care.

"Yes, Cynthia Baker made that," Touya remarked from the bed he was sitting upon. "She was your mother, right?"

Scarlet snapped her attention towards the bed carved in mahogany wood. The bed's headboard curved over the demon to darken his figure from where he was sitting upon the king sized bed. The footboard of the bed even curved over, showing off the intricate Celtic designs. "Y—yeah…she did and…she was. She stitched his blanket for me when she was expecting me. She used to tell me she wrapped me up into this blanket after giving birth to me, and she added onto it every year so I could keep it…close to my heart…even when she died…"

Touya leaned forward to show off his pallid complexion in the soft candlelight. His narrow eyes pierced through the darkness at the young woman who had ignored him since the day her mother died. "I am sorry for your loss," he said as he moved from the bed he was upon.

"Thank you," Scarlet said somberly in return, keeping the blanket close. "But, how did this blanket end up here? It used to always be at our home."

Touya swallowed harshly with a slight cough as he made his way over towards Scarlet cautiously. "During her final days, she figured you would hold animosity towards me with her death being so slow and hurtful for you, so she gave me the blanket to keep and to hold as a way to stay close to you."

"My mom could see you?" Scarlet asked confused.

The ice demon nodded. "Her sight and hearing got better when she was dying as morbid as that sounds." He opened his hand to accept the blanket, which Scarlet was still holding. With it reluctantly handed over to him, he held the fabric close with a brief smile. "Don't worry; I've taken good care of it." He walked over towards the chair it was originally upon to sit down. "So, do you want to know about your mother and her death? That is why you are here, right?"


	11. Chapter 11

Scarlet fidgeted a bit as she remained beside the demon's chair. "I just want to know if my mom is okay," she said with a somber sigh. "I miss her, truly. And now, no thanks to Teresa, I am worried sick over where her soul is right now."

Touya looked over at Scarlet with an unclear express. "Would it matter to you if she were happy even if she was in hell?"

"If she is happy where she is then I am too," Scarlet expressed, her hand placed upon her chest. "I just don't want her to be rotting in hell and unhappy."

His hand cupping his chin in thought, Touya hummed a bit at how to word everything that had gone on unbeknownst to Scarlet. "Your mother assumed, just like the rest of you, that was written on those books were all factual. She was expecting something much different than what she was given when her soul threatened to leave her body. When she saw me, she was confused until I explained everything to her." He leaned back in his chair with his eyes shifting a bit as he recalled the rest. "Cynthia didn't want to accept it at first but eventually came to terms with it as I continued to come back and check up on her everyday. You see, she was ready to go to hell with me, and she was ready to reside within my temple. She wanted me to look after you, and I did until you pulled so far out of my grasp, I just couldn't reach you anymore."

Scarlet was silent. She cupped her elbows while looking down at the floor below. "So—is she happy?"

"She sure does appear so," Touya answered somewhat vaguely as he crossed his legs. "Scarlet, your mother wasn't expecting to live in eternal hell for the worshipping she did, but she learned to accept it." He leaned forward slightly. "Hell is not a world filled with lava pits, red bodied creatures with black horns and wings—that is just as much fairytale as your belief system is. While there are demons that will torment you if you stray from the temples, not all are evil. It is like saying everyone convicted and found guilty is a murderer."

"What about me?" Scarlet asked, placing her hand upon her chest. "Will I get dragged down to hell with her?"

Touya cupped his chin in thought. "Well, your worshipping was cut off for a few years only to be slightly rekindled. It all depends on Jin and I seeing as you are baptized under us both. Do you want to go to hell to be with her?"

Scarlet inhaled sharply and steadily, not sure what to say to that. "I do not know. I do not know what to expect yet…"

"It is your choice," Touya expressed with a simple wave of his hand. "You have been ducking in and out of the belief system, so I don't know where to put you just yet." He took the blanket, which Cynthia Baker had made, and got up, from his frosty seat. Handing it over to Scarlet, he offered a brief smile to her. "I consider that you think more on it. At least if anything you will be with the people who loved you."

"'People'?" She wondered aloud, taking back the quilted blanket. "Who else is in hell that I should know of?"

Touya tilted his head slight, gazing up at the young woman out of the corner of his eye. "You mean—your mother never told you?"

Scarlet shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

"I assumed your mother told you everything," the ice demon expressed with a sigh. "Hmmm…I wonder…" He turned from Scarlet with a simple raise of his hand to her as if to stop her from speaking to him. His eyes soon closed, he concentrated on the voices around him. Mumbling under his breath, he spoke to some of the spirits dwelling within his bedroom before turning his focus back to Scarlet. "Apparently you were not told. You were only a baby when your birth father was taken."

Hearing of her birth father, she widened her eyes while her heart quickened in beat. "What—what do you know about my birth father?"

"Your mother didn't say anything about it in fear of upsetting you," Touya said in his defense. "But he was sacrificed to my temple to stop the long winter."

Scarlet felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Grabbing onto her beating heart, she shook her head with a furrow of her brow to express her pain. "They…worshippers will actually be that detached to their own! That is horrible! People are so heartless!"

"Scarlet—."

"They deserve to rot in hell—all of them; especially if they are going to act like monsters!" Scarlet growled, clutching her fists at her sides.

"**_Scarlet!_**" Touya yelled over her sudden mood change. When he got her attention, he sighed whilst crossing his arms over his chest. "Look, I am sorry about what happened to your family, but you're being hysterical. Calm down a moment and consider what you're not realizing. Your birth father and mother are finally together in the afterlife, and Cynthia is more than happy with the man she first married!"

"What about the worshippers?" Scarlet asked angrily. "Why do you let them run amuck when you don't even like human sacrifices?"

Touya sighed once more with a shake of his head. "Scarlet, there is nothing we can do. When your human kind turns that dark, even **_we_** cannot reach them."

"And that is why you are threatening to curse everyone…?" Scarlet asked remembering what Jin said at Teresa's.

"Jin told you that one, hu?" The demon asked, tapping his finger upon his lower lip. "So far it is at a dead-end tie—we won't take action until the scale tips." He shrugged.

"So you won't accept anymore sacrifices?" Scarlet inquired.

"We never have," Touya scoffed. "It may be hard to believe, but human blood doesn't appeal to us. Some even find it to be an unpleasant stench. Why do you ask?"

Scarlet thought of Blossom—wanting her to live a normal life and to stop hiding. "There is a friend of mine who has to hide, because people are threatening to sacrifice her to the 'demon Lord' Yoko Kurama." She embraced herself, looking down at her feet. "I really want her to be safe, but I am not sure what to do."

"And you want to do this for that co-worker of yours?" Touya asked.

"I—wait—how did you know that?"

Touya rolled his eyes playfully with a slight grin. "There is hardly anything that goes on around here that demons do not know of. I know who you mean—'Blossom', right?"

"Yes, but, even Jin didn't let on he knew that when I asked him," she said bewildered.

"Yeah, well, Jin is a dork," he put bluntly, walking over to his desk to flip through a few papers, which lied there upon the frozen wood. "While he may have his serious moments they are like his intellectual ones—few and far in-between."

Scarlet agreed silently as she made her way over to where the ice demon stood. She gazed upon the papers he had in his possession to notice that they had foreign marks upon them. "What is this?"

"It is not important," he said quickly as he turned on his heels to hand over a few of the papers to Scarlet, knowing that she would be unable to read what was placed on them. "I want you to go to Yoko Kurama's Temple tomorrow. Take these papers with you and tell him that I sent you there. He will know what to do from there." Touya's icy hand touched Scarlet's shoulder, sending a chill throughout her body. "Trust me; your friend will be fine."

She took the papers with a brief chatter of her teeth from the cold that the ice demon emitted through her bony body. "Is that all…?"

"No, it is not all," Touya stressed lightly as he placed his hands upon his hips. "I want you to promise me something—I want you to promise me you'll stop slicing yourself up and express yourself in other ways."

Scarlet scoffed with a slight turn of her head. "Why do I have to promise you that? I don't have to promise you anything."

"Technically, no, and technically yes, you do," the demon groaned, poking her on the chest. "When you were baptized in my temple, you became one of my children—more so when you were born here and your mother's umbilical cord was placed in my keeping. While it is in your power to control whether or not you slice up yourself again, it is in my power that I can make sure you stop."

Confused, Scarlet cocked her brow at the demon though not saying a word verbally.

"If you so badly want to harm yourself to release your pain, then I will let you see the fears that will awake around you for when you might actually successful kill yourself," Touya explained. "I won't be there to help you through it, and I will make damn sure Jin isn't either. If you want those fears to go away as well as those horrible nightmares, then I advise you to cease your cutting."

Having her knife being taken from her, Scarlet couldn't help but cringe angrily. But a type of fear swelled within her stomach when she remembered the nightmares she had often had, and Scarlet dared not say a thing.

"Besides, your mother knows the pain you are going through," Touya expressed with a slight shrug. "Would you rather let her rest in peace than have her worry over your life?"

Hearing of her mother once more, Scarlet tightened up and hitched in breath. She was unaware that her mother had been keeping tabs on her lately. It slightly embarrassed her. "My mother knows what is going on with me?"

"I tell her everyday," said Touya plainly.

Sighing, Scarlet brought the papers Touya handed to her closer to her chest. "Fine…I will consider it…"

Touya turned on his heels and headed for his bed once more. "You may take the blanket with you on your way out. Take care of yourself, Scarlet, and please, close the door behind you."

"Thanks," was all Scarlet could seem to say as she did just that. Closing the door behind her, she wrapped herself up in the blanket she had been so long without. The feel of it was awfully warm. It helped her cool down as she headed for the entrance of the Ice Temple.

Jin waited at the front of the temple with his arms crossed and his right foot resting against the cold marble of the temple behind him. Rolling his pinky nail over his lower canine, he bit at the nail until the doors finally opened to reveal Scarlet. "So," he began, "how did it go?" Noticing the blanket around her, he cocked his brows at the fabric. "Where did you get that?"

Scarlet kept the fabric close to her cheeks to remind herself of her mother, who had passed. "It was my mom's…and she gave it to Lord Touya." She walked down the cement sidewalk alone at first until Jin caught up with her. "Thanks for waiting for me, Jin."

Jin walked beside the apparently dreary Scarlet. Scratching the back of his fiery red hair, he shrugged. "Sure thing," he said simply. He kept his wind swirling outward to keep the thick, fog barrier at bay. "So are you going to be okay?"

She nodded, continuing down the sidewalk she was upon. "I will be fine. I just want to go home and sleep…I am tired."

Sensing her exhaustion, Jin grabbed underneath her arms. Lifting himself up off of the ground with his wind's aid, Jin headed for Scarlet's house further down the block.

The wind rushing through her hair, Scarlet inhaled sharply at being taken into the air so abruptly. "What—what's going! What are you doing!" She exclaimed, not liking the heights too much.

"Don't worry," Jin said over the roaring of the wind. "I will get you home in no time at all."

It was a promise the wind demon kept. His speed nothing to shake a stick at, Jin got to the window of Scarlet's room in no time at all. Floating near the window, he placed Scarlet in his lap, so he could focus his strength upon the shut pane. The stubborn window finally opening, the wind demon helped the young woman back into her bedroom.

Crawling through into her bedroom, Scarlet made it in with a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Jin," she said softly to the wind demon.

Jin grabbed onto the top of the windowsill to throw himself into the room with a grunt. "Not a problem," he said with a slight stretch. "You're going to be okay, right? You're not going to try and kill yourself again, are you?" Jin inquired as he watched Scarlet closely. "I have Teresa to keep out of hell; I don't need another on my plate."

Scarlet sighed as she slipped onto her bedcovers exhaustedly. "I already promised Lord Touya I wouldn't do anything, so I guess I promise you the same thing. I am just very tired—too tired to try anything."

"You know, you can just call him 'Touya'. We are all not into that 'Lord' stuff," Jin chuckled as he headed back for the window. "Take care of yourself." His hands gripping onto the windowsill, he launched out the window with his wind to head back towards Teresa's house.

Scarlet was too weary to get up to close the window, so she left it as it was there in her dark room. Kicking off her shoes, she moved the bedcovers to slip under their warmth with the blanket her mother had quilted for her on top. The thoughts and replays of all that had gone on that day exhausted her further; she falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

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The next day Scarlet got out of bed, slightly earlier than usual, to head to the Earth Temple where Yoko Kurama was said to reside. The fog was still a bit thicker than usual, but she kept a burning candle with her in attempts to light the way for her to the end of Willard Drive where the woodlands were. Nervously, she headed into the towering forest still creeping with fog. She could hardly see her feet and the things located in front of her.

"Where is this temple?" She mumbled to herself, knowing it wasn't too deep within Wind Knoll's woodlands.

She moved her lit candle about slightly to try and chase off the thick, soupy mist. When the wind started to blow from the depths of the mountainside deeper within the woods, Scarlet shielded her face as the currents blew harshly at her face. The candle's flame going out from the wind currents, Scarlet yelled angrily at the wind.

"Jin, you big idiot! I needed that!" She hissed with a stomp of her foot, knowing he was mostly responsible for abnormalities in the wind. Before she could complain anymore, she turned around to notice the marble structure of the Earth Temple.

She hadn't been to the temple at all, and wasn't sure what to expect. Rolling her teeth over her lower lip, she walked to the large, glistening doors covered in vines, which blossomed in roses. She grabbed onto the doorknob and turned it slightly to allow herself inside of the temple, lit only by candlelight, just like Touya's temple. The light, however, was not blue, but green.

Crimson pillows lined up neatly to make the walkway she was currently upon; she headed for the statue of the exaggerated fox demon. She gazed up at the statue of the man slaying a sinner with a fox right beside his victory stance. Her fingers caressed the structure before jumping back at the sudden slamming of the doors in the back. She kept the papers she was asked to bring close to her chest with a tremble of her body.

"Hello? K-Kurama, are you here?" Scarlet called, looking about the structure. She continued to step around in a circle, listening to whispers, which seemed to attack her from all sides. When Scarlet threatened to leave, she bumped into the man known as Yoko Kurama—startling her greatly.

His long red hair blew about the subtle wind, which was within his temple—his piercing, green eyes staring down at the woman he was expecting long and hard. The outfit he wore was never really seen around Wind Knoll. It was an aqua, colored kimono. "You are Scarlet Baker, correct?" He asked, offering a sincere smile to try and lessen the fear Scarlet was emitting about his temple.

"Y-yes, I came here to talk to you about Blossom," Scarlet stuttered, handing over the papers in her hand quickly. "And I was asked to give you these from Touya."

Kurama took the papers, which had Japanese symbols written upon them. "Ah, I see. I have been looking for this girl everywhere. I see she has gone into hiding." The redhead sat down upon one of the pillows to gaze up at the human woman. "So she works at that store with you, does she? She is brave to work out in the open like that."

"I just don't want her to be sacrificed at your temple," Scarlet expressed, sitting down on the cold floor across from Kurama. "I know I hardly know her well, but it just doesn't seem right."

Kurama cleared his throat with a raise of his brow. "I feel the same way, Scarlet. I was wondering if you could do me a favor and bring her here to me. I really need to speak with her."

"You're—not going to kill her, are you?" She asked boldly once she steadily rose off of the ground.

"No, no," Kurama insisted with a shake of his head. "I can give her a safer place to stay. I just need to speak with her about it."

"What are you going to do?" Scarlet inquired once more.

The fox demon hefted himself up off of the pillow he was upon with a sigh and added laugh. "Nosey little thing, aren't you? The only way I can save her from being sacrificed is to have her work at my temple as a priestess. Priests and priestesses cannot be sacrificed because of their status, and I would prefer someone as young as her not be slaughtered upon my temple's doorstep like a common farm animal."

Scarlet looked up at the clock within the temple to check the time. "Well, around this time she might be working. I am not sure. I don't know her schedule." She bowed slightly to the demon. "I will go and find her." Without another word, she quickly ran out of the temple to go check for Blossom at the store. Not bothering to shut the door behind her, she ran through the foggy woods to try and make her way back to Willard Drive, where the store was located.

Kurama made it to the cracked, marble doors to watch as Scarlet ran off. He said not a thing as he closed the door behind him—the fox demon waiting behind the Earth Temple's walls for Blossom and Scarlet to return.


	12. Chapter 12

**_Author's Notes_**: Sorry for being silent on this story. I was working on my private, personal one-shot and got carried away by the time. Updates may be a bit sluggish, so please do forgive me. Classes have started, and I am thinking of taking artwork commissions. :-) If you want to be a paying costumer, it is best to check out my DA journal links—the link to my DA page is in my FF profile.

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Her feet pounding against the pavement beneath her soon enough, Scarlet made her way quickly towards the store she was an employee at. On her way there, however, she could hear the disgruntle moans and hisses of the damned souls, which roamed the streets of Wind Knoll unnoticed by most. She couldn't help but continue to look over her shoulder at every foreign growl before her hands finally graced the handle of the Black Magic Store.

The bell ringing to indicate Scarlet's presence, Silvia looked up from the magazine she was reading at the counter to catch the young woman. "So what do you want this time, Scarlet?" Silvia asked, blowing a bubble with the gum she was obviously smacking on rudely.

"Where is Blossom? Is she here?" Scarlet didn't hesitate to ask as she made it to the counter, away from the muffled sounds beyond the glass windows and door.

Silvia pointed over towards the backroom with her thumb as she turned the page of her magazine.

Scarlet hurried over towards the red curtains, halting when she saw Blossom surface from behind the hanging fabric. "Blossom, you are here—look, I need to talk to you…!"

"Scarlet, I am working," Blossom pointed out with a soft laugh as she balanced some boxes filled with inventory in her arms. "Can't this wait for later?"

"It has to deal with your—situation around your demon," Scarlet whispered to Blossom in hopes of making her realize how important it was.

The name of the demon coming clearly to her mind, Blossom stood there paralyzed thinking on what to do. She sighed softly, turning towards Scarlet to whisper back to her. "Look…my break is coming up within the hour. Go back to the temple and wait for me there…I promise I will be there," Blossom assured Scarlet, though sounding a bit leery about the whole idea.

"Do you promise me you will?" Scarlet asked, not trusting Blossom's words.

Blossom sighed as she gazed over at Silvia, who was keeping an eye on the two here and there from the magazine the woman was reading at the counter. "I have to get to work," she said almost pleadingly, pulling from Scarlet to head to the rows lined with merchandise. She didn't wish to continue speaking about the balance her life currently was held within.

Scarlet knew there was not much else to say as she herself released a sigh of frustration before heading back towards the door. She spared a goodbye wave to Silvia before departing and heading back to the Earth Temple she was to wait at. Her feet beating against the pavement beneath her before it turned into the dirt road in the woodlands of Wind Knoll, she made it to the thorn, vine covered doors of the temple belonging to the silver fox once again.

The doors opening to allow the sunlight within the dim, green candlelit temple belonging to Kurama, the demon looked over his shoulder at the woman at the doors who stood alone. "So, you did not obtain her," he said with a simple sigh, sitting down near the foot of his statue.

"She said she would meet us both here later," Scarlet replied as she made her way towards the redheaded demon. "But…she sounded unsure."

"I guess all I can go by is her word right now," said Kurama with a shrug of his shoulders. He looked at the grandfather clock in the temple to catch the time. "She said she would be here when?"

"She told me that her break would be within the hour."

"Then I guess I will wait for the coming hour," the fox demon muttered mostly to himself as he waited there beneath the curves of the statue, erected in his honor. When Kurama noticed that Scarlet was remaining within the temple, he couldn't help but ask, "What is it? Do you still need something?"

"No, I promised Blossom I would be here when she arrived," Scarlet answered, kneeling down on one of the pillows lining the main room. "Besides, I just want to make sure that she will be okay…"

Kurama folded his hands in his lap with a brief smile to the worried human woman. "Scarlet, I assure you that your friend will be just fine," he expressed to her with a nod towards the double doors. "Why don't you go home now?" He placed his index finger against the side of his head before pulling it away from his messy strands. "Besides—I foresee something bad brewing at your house the longer you sit here. I think it is best you head home."

"Something—bad?" She wondered, gradually rising from where she was upon the temple floor. "Oh no, my dad…!" Scarlet quickly turned around to head for the doors she had been through previously. Her palms pushing against the marble doors, she made her way back outside onto the dirt road.

She ran quickly down the sidewalks, pushing her way through some people in her way in attempts to make it back to Lavender Lane where her house resided. Once it came into view, she stopped at the driveway to place her hands upon her thighs to catch her breath. Her heart pounding rapidly against her chest, she looked up at her cracked window she could see from the driveway feeling as well that something was wrong with the emotion surrounding the house.

Scarlet rubbed her fingers against her palm—something she always did whenever she was nervous or scared about something. "I wonder what is wrong with him…," she whispered to herself before heading for the front door.

The off-white door creaking open, she made her way to the main area of the house where the side of the staircase could be seen as well as the archway leading to the kitchen and the living room on the left and right sides of the front door. "Dad?" She called inquisitively before closing the door behind her. "Dad, are you here?" She was confused as to what the fox demon could have possibly felt coming, but Scarlet didn't ignore the senses of the creature as she made her way up the darkened staircase slowly. "Dad, are you up here?"

Once she made it to the upstairs, she could hear her step-father's radio running in his bedroom behind the cracked door, which appeared to be calling to her yet demanding she stay away at the same time. Scarlet headed for the door regardless. Her hand was about the touch the door when her name was called sternly from the other side.

"Scarlet, get your ass in here," Chris demanded from beyond his bedroom door.

The tone he used not pleasing, she did as he asked. Pushing the door open to allow herself inside, Scarlet caught her father sitting there at the foot of the bed looking quite angered. "What is it…? What is wrong?" She boldly asked from a safe distance.

"So I found out lately that you haven't been attending college classes, which I pay for you to attend out of the small money we have," Chris pointed out as he lit a cigarette, which was in his possession. "I was wondering what could possibly have kept your attention aside from the job I know you are miraculously holding," he said bitterly, reaching behind him to pull out the book she had gotten at the store—the book belonging to the 'Wind God' of Wind Knoll. "—and I found this."

Scarlet inhaled sharply, covering her mouth in dismay that her step-father had found the one thing she had hoped to keep from him. "Where…where did you find that?" She inquired nervously.

Christ pushed himself up from the bed he was sitting on to slam the book down on his hand as he spoke angrily at her. "What do you mean where did I find it!" He exclaimed angrily. "The point is I found it in your damn room!"

Every slap upon the leather cover made Scarlet cringe as she turned away from him slightly, fearful he would slap her with it.

He grabbed onto her neck to make her listen to him as he kept the book close by, almost threatening to hit her with it as she feared. "What the hell do you think you are doing with this book in your room! Are you worshipping the demon monsters like everyone else in this town!"

His words were intimating to her and frightened her. He was yelling every phrase directly in her face, making her want to run to her bedroom to hide. "I—I wanted to learn what happened to my mother, and that was all!" She said in her defense, raising her hands up with her eyes closed tight.

"Your mother died!" Chris yelled once more, releasing her neck finally. "What in God's name to you need to know! She worshipped the damn devil and now she is lying with him!" Taking the book in his hands, he slapped her in the face harshly with it to release his anger, which he felt towards the situation.

The book stung Scarlet's cheek. She placing her hands upon the red mark now upon her face, she tried her best not to cry. "They…they are not all evil…," Scarlet said bravely with her face turned from him.

Her father grabbed onto her hair tightly, pulling Scarlet over towards him. Chris ignored her cries of pain and the demands to let go. "I don't give a rat's ass if they are all holy angels to you," he growled, pulling her out of the room by her hair still.

Scarlet was forced down the stairs, nearly falling from her step-father's brash movements towards the living room. She kept her head down, not attempting to budge in worry that he would jerk her hair and hurt her neck further. Once she was standing in front of the fireplace with her dad, she knew what was coming next as she stood there to watch—her body trembling uncontrollably from the abuse given to her thus far.

Lighting a match, Chris threw it onto the dry logs to make them steadily catch on fire. He waved the book in her face once more before tossing it in the fire to make it burn. He watched in satisfaction as the book slowly burned in the cracking flames. Chris turned back towards the shaken Scarlet to grab tightly onto the nook of her neck. "If you bring another item such as that in here, I will throw you in the fire myself—am I clear!"

Scarlet merely nodded her head before turning around to run quickly back up the stairs. She didn't want to show her tears creeping down her cheeks. She dared not give her father that enjoyment in seeing her pain as she made it to her bedroom to shut the door behind her before locking it.

The door closed behind her, she rested against it while releasing her sobs of pain. Her body shaking from her tearful release, Scarlet slowly fell down to the floor in front of bedroom door. Even if her inner pain was slowly releasing there within her crystalline tears, Scarlet still felt her body begging and crying out for that knife she kept hidden within her bedroom—something her father obviously didn't find or didn't care to say anything about. Getting to her feet, she hurried over to her bed to pull out the box where she kept her knife hidden. Holding the item in her hand, she watched as the blade shined off of the dim sunlight making its way through her windows, Scarlet recalled the warning, which Touya gave to her about cutting.

The fear of his warning was quickly forgotten and overwhelmed by the pain she endured earlier. Sitting on the bed, Scarlet kicked off her shoes and then removed her jeans to leave her there within her shirt and panties. Taking the tip of the knife, she glided the blade across her legs watch and feeling as the skin broke apart to allow blood to escape quickly to the surface.

It felt relieving as she sat there to cut both legs with parallel, bleeding marks. As she was about to add a final cut onto her leg, Jin grabbed her arm—he squeezing it tightly to make her drop it there on the floor; the blade covered in the young woman's blood.

"I thought Touya and I told you to stop this!" Jin grumbled as he watched the blooded knife fall to the floor.

Scarlet fought with Jin's powerful grasp only to fail and falter at his strength. "What the hell are you doing here!" She exclaimed through her sobbing, not having the energy or the courage to look at him.

"I came here to check on you," Jin answered as he picked up the knife to place back in the box it came from regardless of it being unclean. "Good thing I did or else you would have gone and done something stupid again." He didn't seem to care that he was treading on thin ice with Scarlet's emotions as he picked her up in his arms regardless of her squirming and whining to be put back down. "So what is wrong?" Jin finally asked once he made it to the bathroom, placing Scarlet down on the toilet seat so he could tend to her bloody legs.

"My dad…," she answered with a sorrowful sigh. "He found the book filled with spells or prayers as you call them, and he burned it after beating on me."

Jin pulled apart his white straps of clothing, which crisscrossed over his chest and back. As he did so, he noticed the red mark clearly on Scarlet's face. "Phew, I'll say—what happened there?" He asked, grabbing onto her chin to turn her reddened cheek towards him.

"He slapped me with the book before burning it," she answered softly, daring not to touch it due to it stinging. "I wish I could make him pay for all of the crap he gives me with a spell of some kind from one of those books at the store I work at…"

The wind demon waved his finger in Scarlet's face as he wrapped up her legs with his torn attire. "It is best not to wish for such things. What goes around comes around ten fold; especially when wished for."

"Well that sure seems pointless," Scarlet grumbled, sniffling back her sadness, which had turned into anger.

"Just be careful next time, Scarlet," Jin advised as he finished wrapping her legs. "He doesn't like the thought of you worshipping us, right? Next time just don't bring anything inside of the house that will enrage him."

"Well I already found out what happened to my mom and how she is doing," Scarlet sighed, closing her eyes as she had felt drained from current run of emotions. "I guess this was a one time only thing…"

Pressing his index finger to the corner of his mouth, Jin hummed in thought. "Are you sure about that?" Seeing her about to get up on her own, he stood up quickly to try and help her back out of the bathroom and towards her messy bedcovers. "You know if the thought was still in your mind you could always come to my temple to worship and study."

"What would I benefit from that aside from living in hell with my mother?" Scarlet asked with a whence as she made it to her bedcovers to lie down upon. She overlapped her arms upon her stomach to gaze up at the whirling fan, which spun slowly above her bed.

Jin sat at the foot of the bed thinking on what could possibly capture her interest. He snapped his fingers once an idea came to him. "Well, you can live there in peace away from your father."

Scarlet turned to look at Jin with a raise of her brow, uncertain of what to think of such a proposition. "And what would keep him from dragging me back here to beat me until every bone in my body is broken?"

"Well, let's think about that one," Jin began sarcastically, "**_ME!_**"

She gazed at the demon still confused. "I thought you were never allowed to touch any human, which could not see you." Scarlet tried to sit upright on her bed though her body wished to remain down upon the covers given the exhaustion it still felt. "I mean you've never really bothered to stop my dad before or allow him to walk in your path when you've been around him."

"That is because outside of my temple, I am not allowed to do such a thing," Jin explained raising his finger on the one condition. "However, if he comes barging into my temple to cause problems, I have more than enough power to let him have it and fear to return."

Scarlet looked down at her lap to think on the proposal. "That does sound nice, but…what about my home?" She asked, fidgeting slightly.

"You'll have to give it up," Jin said simply, placing his hand on her shoulder. "It's either give up the home you have grown up in or remain within it to be abused by that bastard who calls himself a man." The redheaded demon moved from the bed he was sitting upon to head for the window, which was still cracked. "If you want to move, just pack up your things and head for my temple. You know where it is located, right?" Jin grabbed onto the window to force it open a bit more so that he could slip back out the way he preferred.

Scarlet was silent. She was unsure of what to say as so many emotions and thoughts ran through her.

"Just think about it," Jin suggested. He was about to fly out the window but stopped to add one more comment. "Think about it—without the knife, please."

Rolling her eyes, Scarlet grabbed the nearest pillow to throw it at the demon. "Get out of here, so I can think in peace!"

The pillow hitting Jin on the side, he let it fall to the floor with a chuckle in the back of his throat. "Alright, see you later, Scarlet," Jin said as he pushed himself out of the window to head back into the town.

Left alone within her bedroom once more, Scarlet looked about the wrecked room with a soft sigh. "What should I do?" She asked herself, making her way over towards her writing desk near the cracked window. Sitting down on the wooden chair, she picked up the picture of her mother she kept close to her always. "What should I do, mom?"

--

Minutes soon passed into hours as Scarlet remained locked in her bedroom thinking on what to say to the wind demon's suggestion at living in his temple. She had written a list of things both good and bad on an empty space of her writing journal. The want to stay at her home couldn't outweigh the subtle desire to stay at the Wind Temple. She tapped the end of her pencil upon the desk thinking a bit more on it before opening her palm to gaze at the ice demon's baptism mark.

She clutched her hand tightly, holding it close to her chest with a sigh of worry. "Touya, please help me…," she begged softly to herself. Crossing her arms over her diary, she lowered her head down upon them.

Remaining there with her forehead upon her overlapped arms on her writing desk top, she felt a cold breeze blow about her bedroom, making her body shake from the eerie chill. Lifting her head up off of her arms, she looked about her bedroom, recognizing the cold currents emitting from the outside. Scarlet walked over towards her bedroom door to look outside in her front yard to see through the thick fog and darkness that someone was standing in her family's driveway. It was hard to tell who it was, but she had a hunch as she silently slipped from her room, down the stairs, and to the front door to make it outside. The fog parting slightly for her, Scarlet saw the ice demon standing there near her mailbox.

"Is something bothering you?" He asked quietly from where he stood, barely visible in the dark night and heavy mist. His outline could only be made out as well as piercing blue eyes.

Scarlet embraced her cold body with a subtle nod to the inquisitive demon. "Jin the Wind God—er—demon—whatever he is, asked if I wanted to stay at his temple given the abuse I received earlier from my step-dad for having his book in my room…"

"I see he whacked you good," Touya pointed out, noticing the red slap on her face turning a slight purple to indicate a bruise. "Your mother was always worried over his anger going overboard when she died." He leaned against the brick mailbox nearby, crossing his arms over his chest with a sigh. "She was worried what he may do to you if she were to ever leave."

"What does my mom want me to do?" Scarlet came right out to ask.

"Scarlet," the ice demon began with a laugh, "you're a grown woman. Stop looking to your deceased mother for advice. Let her rest in peace." He placed his chilly hand upon the nook of her neck gently yet firmly to express his seriously. "But, if you want to help her rest in peace further, try thinking of a solution you think she would be happy with. Try being a mature adult, Scarlet, and don't cower at any new experiences life gives you."

"Thanks," Scarlet said nearly inaudibly. She looked back at the house she loved but also despised before gazing back at the ice demon, who was kind enough to stop by to check on her. "Even if my mother isn't here, I know she would want me to talk about this with my dad regardless of how angry he would get…."

Touya pulled in his lips in attempts to stifle a smile with a nod at her suggestion. "I can call Jin back here to protect you during your decision. The last thing I want is for your father to beat you till your insides bleed."

"I'll talk to him about it tomorrow," Scarlet said with a nod to the ice demon as she pulled from him to head back inside. "Tell Jin to be here bright and early, because I have to go to work tomorrow before coming home to pack to head to his temple."

Touya pushed himself off of the mailbox behind him, so he could head back to his stroll throughout the town. "I will relay the message to him. Be careful, Scarlet, and if you use the knife again, I am going to make you pay for it." He pointed to her legs, which he could tell where bleeding from the smell tickling his senses. "Goodnight and sleep well."

Scarlet watched as the ice demon seemed to disappear within the fog after a few steps away from her driveway. The night air getting colder, she embraced herself and hurried for the doorway to escape the cold air caressing her fair, scarred skin and the questions darting through her mind.


	13. Chapter 13

The night hours dragging by for everyone within the town who were all eager for the sun to rise and the fog to be carried away by Jin's help. The wind demon was watching the foggy town from atop the temple, which belonged to him, with his legs crossed upon the wind that held him up at the wind master's command. Resting his knuckles on the side of his cheek, he hummed slightly in boredom as nothing exciting seemed to stir within the town he promised to protect.

The feel of the temperature dropping around him caught Jin's attention as he reopened his eyes to look out in the thick, soupy fog to spy someone of high, demonic power heading towards the doors of his temple. Uncrossing his legs, Jin descended down to the marble doors protecting his temple to see who it was.

Touya blocked the wild wind with his arms raised to protect his face until Jin settled it once the wind demon made it down to the cobblestone walkway Touya was waiting upon. "Sorry to bug you so late, Jin, but I need to talk to you."

"It's okay, I could use some excitement no matter how small right about now," Jin expressed with a yawn he had been holding back. "So what is the deal?"

"I talked to Scarlet about moving into your temple," Touya began, thumbing over his shoulder where the young woman lived. "She has decided to do so, but she will speak to her father about this situation. You know what that means, right?"

Jin scratched the side of his head with a nod and raise of his brows. "Yeah, the man is going to go totally bonkers on her ass."

"That is why I told her you would be there to watch over her when she does so," Touya said simply as his index finger touched the demon's broad chest. "You should go over there to help her pack and be there when she breaks the news. I am not going to have that man touch her again."

Jin checked out the time on the large town clock, noticing it was a little past one in the morning. "I guess I will go stay with her then. Everyone is asleep in my temple, so I don't have to worry about any commotion until sunrise. Besides, I could use some excitement, and she is fun to irritate." With a childlike gleam in his eye and a soft chuckle expressed, he walked past the ice demon to be on his way.

Rolling his eyes slightly at Jin's comment, Touya turned around to watch the demon head for Scarlet's house. "Jin, don't make her nuts, please? The point is to keep her safe, not drive her beyond her breaking point."

The redheaded demon waved over his shoulder at Touya before taking to the air in hopes of getting to the Bakers' house quicker. He kept high in the sky, over the thick fog to listen and watch the sleepy, silent town. Within the hazy mist, he could make out the groans and hissing of some of the creatures down below, making him twist his smile into a worried frown as some appeared to be hunting tonight. He wasn't sure who they were after, but what he did know was it bothered him very little seeing as those connected to him weren't fading past their health point.

Spying the candlelight in Scarlet's bedroom window, Jin lowered himself down to the windowsill to grip underneath the partly, opened window so it could go up all the way for him to sneak inside. The woodwork moaned as he did so though eventually giving way for him. The old, musky scent wafted his senses as he made it into the candlelit room. His bare feet meeting with the carpet quietly, the boards creaked as he put his weight back into his legs to stand upright once completely inside.

Scarlet didn't wake from where she was sleeping within her bed comfortably. She moaned slightly with a curl of her toes, remaining blissfully clueless to the demon's entrance into her bedroom.

Jin tiptoed over towards the bed, looking at the TV, which was still running, for a moment to see that nothing particularly interesting was on, and it was low on volume. He sat upon the end of the bed, watching her closely within the flickering candlelight. The demon noticed that Scarlet had this excruciating look upon her features. He moved in a bit closer to her with a slight movement of his pointed ears. Jin raised his hand slightly and moved it inches away from Scarlet's face before closing his eyes a moment.

"Hmmm," he hummed in thought, reopening his eyes. "She is having a nightmare." Jin moved in closer to the shaken Scarlet, leveling his body beside hers on the bedcovers. Resting his head down on the pillow, which was free, the wind demon moved his right arm behind his head slightly before closing his eyes.

Scarlet's mind was being tormented within the decayed town she lived within. Her spirit wandered down the cracked streets, bathed in blood and reeking of rotting flesh. She covered her nose at the smell and tried not to vomit at the sights of jugulated blood on the ground. Odd grunts and groans were coming from almost everywhere as she stood there in the center of the large, empty town.

She shivered from the cold she was soon experiencing, rubbing her arms to try and keep them warm. "_**Hello, is anybody out there?**_" She called, her voice seeming to rebound off of the surreal dream world.

The fog seemed to part from above at that moment, allowing Scarlet to gaze up at the sky to see a blood, red moon. She looked up at the sight, which sent a chill down her spine, until her attention was quickly diverted by the low, sickening moaning sound of a damned soul. Scarlet looked over at the darkened alleyway, painted on the sides with human blood to witness as a disfigured body was moving about slightly in the dark cover of the two buildings on either side of it.

With a low, angry moan, the beast started to steadily pull itself from the alleyway it had been concealed within. The man's face was bandaged tightly, leaving way for his mouth, which the skin had apparently broke and pealed back on both sides and consisted of sharp, blood stained teeth. He walked on his hands and knees—both of which were bend in awkward, revolting positions. His elbows were bent forwards and his hands twisted towards his body while his knees were turned in, but bent in a way that made him appear almost dog like. His body was tainted in old blood and his flesh was rotting off. It was disturbing for Scarlet to watch as he crawled side to side with a few quick twisting motions of his head, his tongue slithering out like a serpent as he came towards her.

"_**Oh my God…get the hell away from me!**_" She demanded, stepping backwards blindly, her body trembling as she did so.

Tripping over her own feet, Scarlet fell to the ground, landing on her backside. The demented demon picked up pace moving quickly towards her with a shrieking howl. Scarlet raised her arms over her face not knowing what to do aside from block the attack she saw coming. The wind became abrasive around her as she sat there waiting to be attacked by the damned soul only to feel something wet splatter upon her body. Slowly Scarlet lowered her arms to see that the beast had been killed by the wild, redheaded wind demon and the damned creature's blood had back splattered on her.

"_**Eew, eew, eew!**_" Scarlet said with a shake of her hands to try and be rid of the creature's blood she now saw all over the cracked road. He had been obliterated by the wind demon's tornado attack, leaving fleshy matter on top of the blood spill as well.

Jin outstretched his hand to pull Scarlet up from where she was sitting upon the ground. "_**Are you alright?**_"

"_**What the hell was that thing!**_" Scarlet exclaimed, moving behind the wind demon.

"_**It's the outcome of a man who found tormenting living creatures to be a blast**_," Jin explained as he shook his hand as well in attempts to free it from the damned man's body matter. "_**His bones and body twisted into that of a dog, the one creature he enjoyed harming, and every step he takes he feels the breaking of his bones and the burn of acid—his favorite method of torment.**_"

Scarlet covered her eyes not wishing to view the scene before her. "_**That is so disgusting!**_"

Jin turned around to face the frightened woman. "_**What are you doing so deep in a spirit world like this?**_"

"_**What?**_" Scarlet inquired befuddled.

"_**This is a spirit dream**_," Jin explained, outstretching his arms to show what she was in. "_**You're opening your soul to negative and positive spirits alike, allowing them to come to you and either help or hurt you. When did you start doing this?**_"

Scarlet shook her head slowly still confused about what was going on. "_**I don't know what you mean. I have been having dreams like this both good and bad since I can remember. Doesn't everybody dream?**_"

"_**Yes, but not everybody can send their soul vibrations out this deep into the spiritual world of hell. This is very dangerous, kiddo, especially if you cannot control when it happens! You're just asking for creatures like that to tear up your body and rape you if you give them the chance**_," Jin pointed out, placing his hands upon her shoulders to shake her gently. "_**Wake up, and I will talk to you there**_."

Scarlet began to rouse from the nightmare she was having. Her body stirring from the dream state she was in, she opened her eyes slowly to the dimly lit room. She was relieved to see her bedroom, more so than ever before. Feeling somebody next to her, she looked over her shoulder to spy Jin lying there. "Jin…?" Scarlet called softly.

Jin opened his eyes slowly, moving his arm from behind his head with a smile to her. "Good to see you found your way back okay." He pushed himself up off of the bedcovers to stretch slightly and work the kinks out of his body.

"You can come into my dreams like that?" Scarlet wondered as she turned around on her side to face the damned man. "Is there any place I am safe from you?"

He laughed on the back of his hand, shaking his head. "Yes, I can easily enter people's dreams. It's better than a long-distance phone call that is for sure, and no, there is no way to get away from me." Here he pointed down at the baptism mark on the palm of her hand. "Think of that as the beacon from you to me. I can always find you with it, and I can tell how you're doing seeing as you gave part of your soul to me when you performed that ritual."

Scarlet looked at her hand briefly. "So what are you talking about when it comes to my dreams? Why do you call them spiritual dreams?"

"Because you are sending your soul out of your body," Jin explained. "Your dreams are very—very—what's the word I am looking for?"

"Vivid?" Scarlet asked with a slight laugh at the stupidity he was already showing.

Jin snapped his fingers at her response and nodded. "Yes, that is the word I was looking for! Anyways, your senses are plugged in directly into your dream world—that is not a regular dream, Scarlet, that is a spirit dream." He turned towards her, crossing his legs over one another. "When people have dreams, sometimes they're not very vivid. It's like watching a movie and not having any feeling towards it in their body. But, when I destroyed that demon, you felt the blood splatter on you, right?"

"Yes, and it was disgusting," Scarlet answered. "I also felt very cold when walking around in Wind Knoll."

"Some people cannot feel things like that," Jin said almost with excitement. "Your dreaming is equal to those who do meditation exercises and send their soul out of their body to speak with others."

Scarlet still found it a bit hard to believe as she listened to Jin closely, rubbing the side of her head seeing as it was hurting a bit. "Are you saying other people can do this?"

"Yeah, sure," said Jin with a nod. "I have known many people who do it, but those I know have control over it. It's mostly because they do meditation exercises and read books on controlling it, so it doesn't land them in trouble." He rubbed the back of his head, looking over at the cracked window he had come through previously. "That store you work at might have a book on it. You should ask your co-workers there."

"I'll check it out some other time," Scarlet moaned as she was feeling quite tired and wanted to sleep more. "So what are you doing here? Did Touya the Ice Demon send you here?"

"Yes, Touya told me you were considering coming to my temple to stay, and you were going to talk to your dad about it. He wanted me to be here to protect you from his foreseen outburst," the demon explained. He hunted for the remote for the TV, finding the flashing images on the screen to be slightly annoying at the moment, so he turned it off.

"But I thought you weren't allowed to use your powers on others outside of your temple?" Scarlet slightly remembered, yawning against the back of her hand on the final words.

"Well, that all depends," he said, leaning against the headboard of the bed. "Are you going to come to live in my temple or are you going to stay here? If you are coming to my temple, he isn't allowed to touch you, and I have the right to step in and blow his mind—literately."

Scarlet fidgeted slightly thinking about it all. The candlelight was steadily creeping down the walls as the wick was growing thin on some. She noticed the one on her nightstand threatening to blow out, so she went ahead and helped snuff it out. "I made a list about the pros and cons of moving in the Wind Temple…so far I have more pros than cons, and for some reason that irritates me." Scarlet sat upright on the bed, bringing her knees close to her chest with a sigh. "I just really don't want to leave, but then I really do more than anything to get away from here."

"Where exactly is the list?" Jin asked looking around the small room.

"It's in my diary," she answered, running her fingers through her bi-colored hair. She pointed at the demon quickly with a narrow of her weary eyes. "And you're not going to look at it."

Jin crossed his arms slightly as if to pout. "What was in the cons list?"

"The only con was leaving this house…leaving behind all the good memories here and leaving behind my mother's bedroom," she whispered, pulling some of her stringy hair behind her ears. "Regardless of my mom dying here, there were some good memories here too. I just don't want to pack up and leave them all behind."

Jin scratched the side of his head with a shrug. "It sounds to me you are more upset over the thought of leaving behind your mother's room than leaving behind the memories you cherish." He twisted his mouth slightly in thought. "Your memories are gonna be with you no matter where you are going, kiddo. You can never be rid of those. And you can always come back to look at your mother's bedroom. Just sneak in through the window." He advised, pointing towards the cracked window in her bedroom.

She couldn't deny that for once the air-headed demon was right. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to go there and see how things are. I know I won't be able to come back because of the anger I know my dad is going to release on me, but I guess I can say I am gaining a lot more than I am losing." Sighing softly in relief of the boulder raising off of her shoulders, she managed a smile to the wind demon briefly as thanks. "I guess it's best I sleep now. Maybe I will have a better experience this time."

"If you don't, I will be here to help," Jin offered with a chuckle, pointing to his head. "When lights are out at my temple, it becomes slightly boring."

"Nice to know you enjoy your job," Scarlet said sarcastically as she situated herself under the covers a bit once more in hopes of sleeping better this time. "Goodnight, Jin and sleep tight whenever you sleep."

"Goodnight to you as well, Scarlet. I hope you don't slip into the depths of hell again," he slightly joked with a stretch of his body.

"Thanks," she mumbled under the covers knowing he was just playing around with her. The light within her bedroom growing dimmer by the minute, the last candle blew out when the wick became too thin. With the flame out, it left nothing but the fog covered stars and moon to light what it could within Scarlet's bedroom.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wind Knoll's town clock chimed the hour at ten o'clock in the morning, calling some people up for the day. Scarlet flinched slightly from the loud clock's chime, making her bring her covers up over her head to try and drowned out the sound. However, a scent that she hadn't smelt in years made her remove the covers once more, wondering who would be making breakfast at this hour seeing as she knew her father never did. Moaning softly, she got to her feet, slipping on her slippers and then dragged her feet towards her door to head downstairs.

She stepped cautiously down the stairs, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she made it to the kitchen where she could smell breakfast being made. She was more than surprised to see that Jin was working every pot and pan he could to make sure a thing—Scarlet's heart nearly stopping under the panic button going off. "Wind Demon, what are you doing!" She exclaimed softly, hurrying around the counter to the oven.

"I am making breakfast," he answered, tossing the pancakes up in the air to catch back in the frying pan. "By the way, it was hard to make pancakes with flower when you're almost out. You might want to suggest that on the grocery list for your dad."

"You're not supposed to be doing anything! My dad could come in and see you!" She hissed through her tightly clenched teeth, waving her hands in the air.

Jin chuckled briefly continuing to do so anyways since he was nearly finished. "Don't worry about him. I am sure he won't care to understand even if he does come in earlier than I expect him to be back." He opened up the cabinets to pull out a plate to put the pancakes on. Jin flipped four onto the plate and grabbed the syrup to place in front of Scarlet. "See, now that didn't take so long, did it?"

"How am I going to explain this breakfast to my dad when he comes home!" Scarlet exclaimed softly still, taking the fork Jin handed over to her.

"You won't have to," Jin said vaguely as he started to clean up the kitchen he had made a mess of. "Just hurry up and finish your breakfast so that we can get ready for that man when he returns. I think he went out to drink or smoke or something to that degree. I don't know; the man's thoughts are muddy."

"Probably both," Scarlet sighed as she twirled the fork a bit upon the top layer of syrup. "He's predictable and does that almost every morning or night depending on what is on the television."

"No wonder this place is so dreary," the demon remarked as he put away the skillet once it was washed off. "You're the only one working around here, and he doesn't make any money."

"We're currently living off my mom's life insurance. It is the only money we have, and now it is dwindling down…"

Jin paused for a moment and gazed over his shoulder at the door not too far from the kitchen's archway. "You're father's here. Are you ready to talk to him?" He asked, drying his hands on paper towel quickly before placing it in the trash.

Scarlet slightly panicked as she looked over her shoulder at the door as well, watching as the doorknob seemed to slowly turn. "I…I guess I have no choice…!" She kept her body twisted still on the counter stool to watch as the door finally opened to reveal the angry man, who was still finishing off a cigarette in his hands.

Chris looked over at his step-daughter, Scarlet with a furrow of his brow at the breakfast she was eating. "Since when the hell do you know how to cook something besides burnt water?"

She didn't know what to say as she looked between her dad and the demon, invisible to him. "I—I don't…"

"Then where did the breakfast come from?" Chris asked, blowing the cigarette smoke up in the air as he leaned against the kitchen's off-white archway. "It didn't just fall out of thin air, did it? Or did one of your little demon friends whisk it up?"

Scarlet looked over at Jin once more, watching as he waved her to go on, and get it over with. "Actually, now that you bring that up, I need to talk to you about it, dad," she began softly, her voice shaking with nervousness.

"And what is that?" He asked, finishing off his cigarette. Chris headed over towards the kitchen counter to rub it out in the ashtray he often at times kept in there. "Have you finally come to your senses and decided to forget the babbling shit your mother foolishly instilled in your head?"

Her mother being mentioned in such a way Scarlet tried her best not to lose it as she dragged her nails into the kitchen countertop slightly. "Actually…no," she answered, swallowing her fear in confronting her father. "I have decided to move into the Wind Temple and live there…"

"Excuse me?" Chris asked, anger tingling on his tone.

Scarlet slowly started to get up from the stool she was sitting upon. "I don't want to live here anymore…I am moving to the Wind Demon's temple whether you approve or not."

"Now you listen here," Chris began angrily as he made his way around the counter to Scarlet. "You're not going anywhere near those devil temples, do you hear me!"

Quickly she jumped from the stool she was upon and fell backwards onto the hard ground beneath her. Scarlet watched in fear as her step-dad came charging at her with his fist reared back, just trembling in anticipation to come down and hit her.

Chris tried to bring his hand down only to be stopped by the demon he couldn't see. "What in the hell is going on!" He demanded to know as Jin had his hand around Chris' wrist.

Jin kept his grip upon Chris, fighting with him as the man tried to resist him. "Scarlet get up and go upstairs," he growled through his clenched teeth as he tightened his grasp on the human man. Scarlet doing as he asked, the redhead started to emit his wind, making the house tremble and the lights flicker on and off.

His wrist eventually released, Chris lost his footing from the wind the demon was releasing causing him to fly backwards and crash into the coffee table within the living room. His back ached as he lied there upon the shattered glass of the table. He released a moan of displeasure as the light above him flickered a bit more before going out with the rest of the lights.

When he managed to gradually push himself up off of the destroyed coffee table, he rubbed his forehead with his bleeding palm. The light above him started to flicker once more and squeaked as it swung from side to side. When it finally came on, it was the only light working within the house as it shined down upon Chris and stopped its swaying.

"Can you hear me?" Jin asked as he stood within the darkness of the room, letting his eyes pierce through the dark house.

"Who the hell are you?" Chris demanded to know angrily, not wishing to show the terror he felt from not being able to see the creature that attacked him.

"I am the wind demon you so rightly fear," Jin responded from where he stood at within the hallway near the end of the staircase. "You will not hurt Scarlet anymore for she is coming to _**my**_ temple where you will be an unwelcome guest if you so much as knock on those doors in attempt to bring her back here."

Chris growled though remained where he was. "If she leaves this house, she will not be welcome back within it, so keep that in mind, you beast of hell!"

"She will not be returning to you," Jin said simply as he headed for the staircase, walking up it slowly. "She honestly has nothing to return to."

Once the wind demon had made his way inside of Scarlet's bedroom, the lights wavered back on to show the damage caused by the creature's abrasive wind currents. Chris said nothing. He sat there on the floor, his hands bloody from the glass puncturing the skin, and clenched his teeth angrily at the turn of events.


	14. Chapter 14

Scarlet grabbed onto a few things to pile them upon the bed in a hurried fashion. She dared not wait around in fear of what her father may very well do to her. Even if a demon was confronting him, she was still terrified of the man. The doorknob of her bedroom door turned putting Scarlet on edge as she turned around quickly with her hands gripping tightly upon the bedside. She was more than relieved to see it was only the wind demon.

"What's going on?" Scarlet asked as she never got to witness the end of that fight between the two. "Are you okay? Is my dad going to race up here to cause trouble?"

"Don't worry about him," Jin advised as he rubbed his forehead. "Just pack up your belongings and let's get the hell out of here." The demon sat upon the side of the bed, leaning back ever so slightly with his feet raised a bit off the ground in attempts to relax. When he saw all of her belongings piled upon the bed, he looked around for something to place them in. "Where is a suitcase for you?"

"There is one in my closet…," Scarlet answered though her voice appeared to trail off for a moment as she gazed over at her door. As the demon got up to grab the suitcase she would need, Scarlet released a subtle sigh to herself thinking about her mother's room and belongings. "Demon, do you think you could grab a few of my mother's things and bring them to me?"

Jin placed the suitcase he managed to pull from the closet on the bed near her gathered belongings. "What do you want me to get from her bedroom?"

"Can you grab her personal religious things?" She asked, packing in some of the items she had already pulled from her room to put in her suitcase. "Also, there is a photo album in her nightstand drawer…I would like to take that with me."

"Alright, kiddo, continue getting packed up, and I'll go get it," Jin said as he departed from the bedroom to go to the closed off quarters, which once belonged to Cynthia Baker.

The room smelt of a musky scent as he made his way through the chipped, painted doorway. Some of the belongings were well preserved and taken care of while others had collected dust and cobwebs. He grabbed the Touya statue he figured Cynthia held close to her as well as her demonic 'Bible', and the photo album Scarlet had spoken of. The album had a bit of dust on it that the demon blew off to see the old inscription written upon it.

"The life of which I cherished and was created with the Ice God's love," Jin mumbled to himself, opening to the first page to look at the first few pages filled with pictures of Cynthia as a baby growing up to her adulthood. He eventually closed the book in his possession before heading back to Scarlet's bedroom.

Scarlet couldn't help but jump slightly at the door reopening again so soon. Her hand against her rapidly beating heart, she opened her arms to accept the items he had brought her. "This should be all I need. Anything else in this room can be replaced or is not worth remembering at the Wind Temple."

Jin grabbed onto the suitcase and flung it over his shoulder while he headed for the cracked window to open it up further. The demon made his way outside leaving Scarlet behind for a moment, so he could place the luggage down on the driveway, knowing he couldn't carry both outside at the same time. With the suitcase on the ground, he hurried back up to the window, opening his arms to accept Scarlet within them though she appeared hesitant to do so.

"Come on," he insisted softly. "There is nothing you need here. Everything you will possibly need and more will be at my temple." When it appeared more coaxing was required, he continued. "Your step-dad isn't going to hurt you anymore. You won't need that knife anymore either. You will be safe—I promise you this."

Scarlet looked back at her bedroom she had come to know and love before finally slipping out through the windowsill. Her hands slid over his tight skin about his neck to embrace him tightly. She closed her eyes as the demon headed down towards the ground below to lift up her belongings. Scarlet didn't want to watch herself leave the house she mostly grew up in as change was difficult for her to accept even if for the better.

"Don't worry," he said over his roaring wind currents, which kept them above the town. "We will be there in no time. Flying makes getting to and from places much easier."

Scarlet squinted through the harsh wind as they headed towards the mountains, which overlooked Wind Knoll. The two of them landing before the marble doors of the Wind Temple, she gazed up at the towering building while rubbing her arms to keep cool. She moved out of Jin's way as he opened the doors to let himself on inside before bothering to follow behind him.

The white candlelight made the white marble walls glitter like new fallen snow. Everything erected within the temple was made of white and soft gold and blue colors to compliment the sky the wind often hailed from. She walked down the walkway of the temple to head down to where the wind demon's statue was erected as the white carpet divided at the base of the statue to lead towards two doorways on either side.

Jin headed down the door on the left, waving for Scarlet to follow behind him, so he could take her to her new room. He parted the hanging fabric before the archway to head down the hallway littered with doors on both sides of the hall. They were lined perfectly in front of one another as they headed down the long corridor even as the corridor bent towards the right and left to offer more rooms. The wind demon turned down the right to find a bedroom, which was unoccupied.

Dropping the suitcase gently on the floor, he opened the door with a set of keys, which hung upon a hook near the doorknob. "This will be your new home," he announced, opening the finely crafted wooden door slowly to show her the circular bedroom. A bed rested off to the right while a writing desk was near the foot of the bed with a few places for books to rest upon the shelves placed within it. A vanity was opposite the bed and right next to a door, which would lead to the small bathroom. A rocking chair was near a large, marble pillar, which was mostly used for keeping candles lit upon the embedded candleholders, that was through the middle of the room. "What you do is none of my business; however, I need you to be in this temple by six every night and do what I ask when I ask it. If you need anything, talk to the other people living in the temple, or you can come to me. However, if you want to see me, I might not be around as often as you might expect so be patient with me or summon me if it's that urgent."

Scarlet took her suitcase back and placed it on the neatly made bed. "Well, it is nice to know I have more leeway here."

"Make yourself at home," Jin said with a slight salute to her as he headed for the door. "I won't be here for awhile, so if you need help, ask one of the priestesses to aid you." He closed the door behind him and hurried down the hallway without another word.

Unzipping her case, she opened it up to reveal her belongings she would need to sort out to make it more homely for her. "It feels kind of lonely in here," she mumbled to herself as she grabbed her clothes to help them over to the dresser, which was at the head of her bed. She couldn't deny she missed the window of her old bedroom, and with that little thought, she began to have second thoughts about the situation.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," she said, threatening to repack her suitcase.

"Why do you say that?" A young woman asked from her bedroom doorway.

Scarlet jumped from the surprise. Grasping onto her chest, she eyed the woman in slight anger. "My God, you scared me! I didn't hear you come in…!" She exclaimed softly.

The young woman with straight, short black hair made her way further into the bedroom. She wore the priestess garb allowed within the temple. It was a white, sleeveless dress with a slit on either side of the dress portion of the outfit and was kept up with a loose sash of a soft blue color with golden tassels hanging from it. "I heard from the demon you were coming here," she said softly, sitting on the side of the bed to watch Scarlet closely.

"So everyone at the temples isn't blind to what he really is?" Scarlet wondered as she placed her hands upon her folded clothing, unsure of whether to unpack or not.

"Some aren't," the woman said simply with a shrug. "That is what the makes this place divided in views. It sometimes causes inner problems, and the Wind Demon Jin has to keep everyone from fighting even if his words and warnings do fall on some deaf ears."

"So more challenges will wait here," Scarlet mumbled with displeasure covering her tone.

"If you keep out of the religious feuds, you will be fine," she insisted. "My name is Andrea by the way."

"My name is Scarlet," the timid young woman responded as she reached for her folded up clothing to put up finally.

Andrea watched Scarlet closely catching her long-sleeved shirt raise ever so slightly to reveal the scars on her arms she placed there herself from dragging that knife over her flesh. "You injure yourself? Things must have been hard from where you came from."

Scarlet looked down at the arm Andrea had noticed. She was quick to cover it back up with a sigh through her nostrils as she turned her back to the prying priestess to put her clothes up. "My mother—the woman I loved—died from an illness, and I shut myself up in my bedroom to try and avoid my abusive step-dad. I denied the religions based within Wind Knoll even if my mother was a considerable follower of the Ice 'God' Touya."

"You appear to be back within the loop now," Andrea pointed out. "You are just following another 'God'."

"Honestly, I don't know what I am doing or who I am following," Scarlet announced as she headed back to her suitcase to pull more of her clothes out to put up. "It has all become…so confusing…"

"Why do you say that?"

Scarlet stayed over at the dresser with her fingers running over the woodwork in thought. "I always thought demons were evil…and yet here they are running Wind Knoll by their own rules of fairness and equality. It just doesn't make any sense to me."

Andrea raised her feet slightly up off the ground while leaning back upon the bed as if to rock herself. "And this is a bad thing?"

"It is just confusing," Scarlet corrected as she headed back to the bed to pull more things from her suitcase. "I never said it was anything bad."

The clock within the temple ringing three times to show the hour, Andrea turned her attention to the door of the bedroom she left open before gazing at her watch. "Study hour," she said vaguely to Scarlet as she got to her feet. "I will be in the prayer room if you need me. Welcome aboard, Scarlet. It was nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Scarlet said with a simple nod to Andrea, watching closely as the girl headed for the door to leave her in peace.

The room silent once more, Scarlet continued unpacking knowing that this would have to suffice for her new home. She feared going back to her step-dad after the fight, which broke out between him and Jin. Scarlet knew she would get the return of it if she dared step foot back into that building. Her hand coming across the photo album her mother had created during her times on earth till she became too ill to bother placing anymore pictures together. Scarlet never bothered to open it for awhile and even at that moment she hesitated doing so. Placing the photo album off to the side, she went back to the other things she knew needed sorting. She couldn't help but wonder, as she did so, where the wind demon had headed off to.

--

Jin had felt the slight fall of Teresa's human spirit, making him a bit worried as he headed for her house in the far side of Wind Knoll. The fog retreated under the wind demon's currents he arrived upon as Jin hurried over towards the window, which led into Teresa's bedroom. His knuckles rapping upon the window, he called for the sicken girl.

"Teresa, it's me! Open the window, and let me in!" He demanded in worry.

At first there was nothing. The curtains on the other side of the window remained steady for awhile, worrying the demon as he knew Teresa was in her bedroom judging by the bit of energy he could feel emanating from beyond the glass window. Eventually the curtains parted and the weary Teresa managed a smile to the sight of the demon before unlatching the lock on the window.

"Jin," she said in a hushed tone, "what are you doing here?"

Jin hopped into her bedroom, closing the window behind him as he did so. He looked through the dim sunlight piercing through her window to notice she was worse than ever. The demon flinched at the sight of her pale body and skin, which clung ever so tightly to every bone in her body. "You don't look so good," he expressed worryingly as he helped her head back down upon the pillow.

Teresa moaned in slight agony as her fragile body was helped back down to her bed. "I can't take this anymore. It's getting much too hard," she admitted, closing her eyes for a moment as it took too much strength to keep them open.

Sensing her energy levels fighting to stay afloat, Jin bit his lower lip in worry as his fingers tapped upon the side of the bed in thought. "Wait right here," he said as he headed for her bedroom door. "I will get you something to eat, and you will feel a little bit better."

"Jin…," Teresa began as she shook her head at his suggestion.

"No, you'll be fine," he promised, eager to do so.

"Jin, I can't…!" Teresa rubbed her forehead before covering her eyes, as if wanting to hide the tears she knew would come from the mere fear of dying.

Heading back over to Teresa's bedside, Jin leaned in close to her with a sorrowful sigh at the situation. "Just promise me you'll at least try and eat something, Teresa. I am sure it will make you feel a bit better."

"Jin, I have tried eating before, but I cannot keep anything down anymore," Teresa whispered in a slight whining tone. "I just…cannot do this…"

Jin leaned forward once more upon the palms of his hands, which were resting on her bedcovers. "Don't do this to me now, Teresa." His fingers ran through her stringy hair in attempts to sooth her. "Are your parents home?"

She shook her head wearily. "No, they are at work right now."

He tapped the top of her bed slightly. "I will be right back." Jin hurried out of her bedroom and down the hallway to the kitchen in hopes of making something for her to eat. His hands rummaging through the cans and packages in the cabinets, he eventually pulled a frozen dinner from the freezer that had chicken pieces, rice, pasta noodles, and broccoli in it. Jin popped it into the microwave, eagerly waiting for it to cook right as he could tell Teresa was pretty much starving herself to death lately.

Teresa was fast asleep when Jin finished warming up the frozen dinner for her. She didn't hear the door open as the demon made his way back into her bedroom and didn't notice he was there until he started shaking her body tenderly. She moaned as she batted her eyes open unwillingly.

"Come on, Teresa," Jin urged as he helped her sit upright in her bed.

As she lifted herself slightly off of the bedcovers, she couldn't help but shake her head slowly at the food she could smell. It was making her stomach ache and her gag reflexes threatened to act up. "Jin, I can't eat that…please don't make me…!"

Jin sat back down on her bedside as he took some of the food on a fork; he came closer to the hesitant Teresa. "Just take a small bite," the demon insisted. The young girl shaking her head once more, he sighed softly with a pleading look. "Just take one bite, and I won't bother you anymore about it."

Teresa sighed as she attempted to take the food upon the fork the demon was offering her. It was as if the taste was painful to her as she flinched trying to swallow it down and keep it down. "Damn...!" She swore softly, coughing slightly as her body disagreed with the food intake. "I cannot do this anymore, Jin."

Placing the food down on her nightstand, he ran his fingers gently through her hair close to her sweating forehead. "What do you want me to do?"

"I can't stand being here anymore," Teresa whispered between the two of them. "The cries of the damned souls get louder every day and night, and I can no longer sleep without fear…just take me to your temple." She paused a moment to cough within her hands. "I want to be away from this graveyard and be within your care until I die."

"Teresa, you know the chill in the air could very well kill you!" Jin exclaimed seriously.

"I would rather die on the way there than sit here waiting for it alone," she responded honestly.

Jin looked up at the ceiling to think on what to do knowing that he couldn't just take off with Teresa without telling her parents first. Heading back towards the door, he opened it so that he could see the outer woodwork, facing the hallway. Moving his fingers slightly upon it, he carved in his symbol upon it to let them know where Teresa would be. Heading back into the room with the door closed behind him, he picked up the ill-stricken human into his arms with the covers embraced about her body as he did so.

"Alright," he began with a slight grunt as he hefted her up into his arms. "I'll get you to the Wind Temple. You can live out your last moments there if you want." Jin covered up Teresa with the covers she was within, hoping to spare her from the horrible chill. Opening up the window, Jin flew quickly to the sky not bothering to shut it behind him as he took off towards the base of the mountains.

--

With her things all put into place, Scarlet sat down at the writing desk to scribble a few ideas down on paper. As she did so, there came a big commotion outside of her closed door. It brought her attention from the lined paper she was doodling and writing poetry upon. Placing down her pencil, she got to her feet and headed for her arched door to open to the hallway beyond it. Some of the priestesses and priests were running down the carpeted hall to the front of the temple for some reason.

"What is going on?" Scarlet wondered as she just watched from her doorway. Her question was soon answered as Jin hurried through the hallway towards his bedroom with Teresa in his arms, looking worse than ever. Scarlet could catch the rasping sound the young girl made as she breathed heavily from her body, which threatened to break down.

Some of the priestesses made their way after the wind demon in a hurry, knowing he would need their assistance with the dying girl. Andrea was one of them as she jogged towards the back bedroom only to be stopped by the still curious Scarlet.

"Andrea, what is going on? That is Teresa," the scarred woman pointed out with a bit of worry.

"You know her?" Andrea asked. "Well, right now I have to help the other priestesses with her, because she is on the verge of dying. The Wind Demon is protecting her for now and allowing her to live out her last moments here. He is going to need help." With that said, she quickly hurried down the corridor towards Jin's bedroom.

Scarlet was curious as she watched them all disappear into the demon's bedroom with his acknowledgement. Closing the door behind her, she hurried quietly down to the cracked door, which led into the demon's bed chambers. Her fingers gripping onto the doorway, she peeked inside to find the demon resting Teresa down within his king sized bed as the others working under him watched and waited quietly for instructions.

"Go and get me more blankets," Jin instructed. "Make something warm for her throat as well for her to drink."

The priestesses hurrying back out of the room, Scarlet moved out of their way as they dashed back down the corridor to do as they were told. The door left wide open to her now, she tried to stay in the shadows of the hallway, not wishing to bother them at all.

"You can come in if you want to, Scarlet," Jin said with his back turned to her.

Scarlet looked around a bit confused before stepping inside of the demon's bedroom. "How did you know it was me?" She wondered as she came closer to the two.

"Each person has different energy levels and smells," Jin answered as he looked over at her. "Yours is easily distinguished lately."

She wasn't sure whether to take it as a compliment or insult, but Scarlet didn't inquire as she made it over to Teresa. Seeing how thin and pale the young girl had become, she couldn't help but flinch at the slightly grotesque sight. "Oh my…she doesn't look so good. Is she going to be okay?"

Jin sighed with a shake of his head. "I don't know." Carefully he ran his fingers over Teresa's forehead, trailing them back into her hair, which wasn't afraid to fall off into the demon's hands. He picked the several strands off of his fingers, flicking them off to the side. "I am trying to keep her afloat, but it is really hard lately when she wants to throw in the towel."

"You can't just let her die," Scarlet insisted with a few shakes of her head.

"If that is Teresa's decision, that is her decision," Jin mumbled equally unhappy about it.

"But—you're a demon!"

Jin looked over at Scarlet with a curious expression about her statement. His chin resting within his palm, he shrugged. "So?"

"So, can't you just give her energy or find a way to kill the disease!" Scarlet wondered eagerly, not wishing to see the girl die.

"Sweetheart, I am a demon," he sighed as he got up to his feet from where he was kneeling by the bedside. "I am not God Almighty."

Teresa stirred from where she was sleeping, moaning miserably from pain as she opened her eyes to the room around her. "Jin…!" She called desperately, threatening to cry from the agony her body was enduring.

Biting his lower lip, Jin shooed Scarlet towards the door. "Go on—go back to your room and close the door behind you. I need to…I need to talk to Teresa for a moment. Don't let anyone inside, okay?"

There was something in his voice that worried and scared Scarlet as she hesitantly nodded at his words. Scarlet left the room, but she didn't close the door completely. She was curious to know what it was that was nagging at the demon as well as herself when she heard him speak.

Jin sat down on the side of the bed, bringing Teresa back up towards his chest. "What is wrong, Teresa?" He asked.

"I cannot do this anymore," she said, finally breaking down into heaping sobs. "I can't do this anymore…" She sniffled from the pain coursing through her weakened form there in the demon's arms.

"What do you want me to do?" Jin whispered upon her forehead where he kissed her pallid skin.

"I don't care what you do," Teresa admitted, "just please make it stop…!"

Jin situated her within his arms slightly, moving her hair out of her face as he did so. "Go back to sleep," he advised. "When you wake up, you won't feel a thing anymore."

Teresa closed her eyes as the demon suggested. Her body, so exhausted, took no time at all to fall into slumber as it was running on empty.

Sensing Teresa was asleep, the demon helped her back down to the covers of the bed. His hands caressed her face tenderly before moving down to her neck. Both of his hands gripped onto her neck, and Scarlet watched in utter horror as Jin quickly twisted her collar to break the spinal column to end the girl's suffering.

Teresa's body went limp, and she quickly stopped breathing when her head sickeningly turned to the far right for her spine to be broken.

Sighing sorrowfully, Jin helped the dead girl down to the bedcovers once more. He arranged her body as if she were still alive, sleeping there. "You will be okay now, Teresa. Your soul is within my temple now, and your pain is gone." Jin leaned forward to kiss her parted lips.

Scarlet backed up with her hand covering her mouth in terror at the sight she had witnessed. Turning on her heels, she ran for her bedroom threatening to vomit from sadness and disgust.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Author's Notes**_: Sorry! XD;; I got horribly addicted to World of Warcraft, and I haven't been able to pull from it since. But I promise I will try to from now on. Enjoy. :-)

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There came a knocking upon the walls down the hallways lining the Wind Temple as well as two men shouting, "Lights out!" It was the night crew given their nightly rounds of walking up and down the many halls that people slept within, banging on the doors to make sure people knew it was curfew and time for the candles to go out and for people to go to sleep. One took the left side while the other took the right.

Scarlet remained within her bedroom trying to wipe her mind of the horrific scene she had just witnessed. Her head was buried underneath her pillow in attempts to drown everything around her out. She didn't hear the knock on the door nor the yell for the lights in her bedroom to be turned out.

"What am I doing here?" She wondered to herself with her eyes closed tightly. "Apparently everything within Wind Knoll is twisted and evil!" Even if Jin was merely placing mercy on the sick Teresa, Scarlet just couldn't see it that way.

Regardless of what she did, Scarlet couldn't erase the horrific scene from her mind. She eventually pulled the pillow from her head so she could sit upon the side of her bedcovers with her gloved hands folded in her lap. From where she sat, she could hear her door starting to rattle thanks to the wind pushing against it several times. It startled Scarlet and sent an uneasy shiver up her spine from where she was sitting.

Scarlet got to her feet and headed hesitantly towards the rattling door. Her hand touching the doorknob, she opened it only to have it fly open to nearly hit her in the face. She jumped back and guarded her face against the wind the demon was unleashing as he stood there at her door. The wind felt angered and irritated as it hissed by her ears.

"What do you want?" The redheaded demon asked rather angrily from where he was standing.

"What do you mean, 'what do I want'?" Scarlet asked with her tone filled with fear as she slunk down against the pole within the center of her bedroom. "You came to me!"

Jin expressed an annoyed sigh as he closed the door behind him once he entered the room. "You didn't blow out your lights during the call for lights out. I am guessing you need me for something?" He explained as he headed over towards the bed to lie down upon it for a moment.

Scarlet watched him closely, noticing that he was irritated and weary from the day. Slowly she got up to her feet to head over towards the agitated demon. "I didn't hear that the lights needed to go out. I am sorry I bothered you…"

The demon caught the scent of Scarlet's fear tickling his senses from where he sat upon her bed. "Did my anger scare you that badly or is there something you're not telling me?" He wondered as he leaned upon his side with his elbow supporting him.

She wasn't sure what to say about the actions she had seen in Jin's bedroom when the demon asked her to leave. Scarlet wondered how to phrase her question without being obvious. The floor appearing welcoming to her, she knelt down upon it to look at the demon directly. "As long as you are here, I might as well ask you—if someone is dying, do you let them die as it was intended, or do you…help them?"

Jin tapped his fingers upon the covers beneath him thinking about her question. "You didn't obey me, did you?" He asked, biting at his nails for a moment. "You saw what I did to Teresa."

Scarlet said not a word though her guilty look spoke for her.

"Answer me this, Scarlet, through all the years of your mother's suffering, did you not once wish you could relieve her of such pain?" Jin asked as he rested his head upon his overlapped arms. "Naturally we let the sickness take its course unless the human asks we relieve them of the pain." He ran his fingers through his own hair with a muffled sigh. "I didn't kill Teresa because her sickness was becoming a burden; I killed her because she asked me to, because the pain was too much for her."

Scarlet wasn't sure whether to be disgusted or relieved. Once again she was reminded of her mother, remembering how her mom cling to life within that bed only to be found dead one unfaithful day. "Touya the Ice Demon watched over my mother," she expressed in thought. "Did he kill my mother?"

"I don't know," Jin shrugged as he pushed himself up off of Scarlet's bed. "I may be friends with Touya, but that doesn't mean I know what goes on with him and his worshippers." He headed over towards the lit candles circling the center pillar in her room, using his wind to blow them out. "Now, lights out," he stressed, wagging his finger at her. Jin turned around to head back towards her door to head back into the hallway, so he could head to his bedroom to sit and think.

The darkness enveloped the room, leaving Scarlet in complete darkness at first until her eyes adjusted. She was back upon her bed gazing up at the ceiling in thought. Her pillow pulled close to her cheek once she turned to her side, she found herself wide awake with too many questions running through her mind. Scarlet remained still within her bed, waiting for her body to succumb to exhaustion she could feel tiptoeing over her. Eventually she drifted off to sleep within the temple's walls.

Jin leaned against the door to his bedroom, sighing as he gazed sorrowfully over at Teresa's body, which remained within his bed still. He made his way slowly over towards the bedside to sit upon it, so he could gaze at her cold form closer. His hand placed upon her chest, where her heart used to beat, he bent his fingers in a sort of grabbing fashion before raising his hand up slowly.

As he did so, the demon seemed to pull an orb like light up through Teresa's chest. He held her spirit, as fair as anyone could tell, and he held it gently within his demonic grasp. Carefully he walked over towards his desk, which was lit with white candles dancing in sky blue light, mumbling a few things under his breath as if to rehearse a chant he well knew.

The orb slowly ascending with its pure light continuing to flash about the room, it took shape into that of the formal shell the soul had resisted within. A brief smile appeared upon Jin's face as he pushed himself up out of the chair slowly from which he was sitting within at his desk.

"Welcome home, Teresa," he whispered to the two of them. "Your pain should be gone now."

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The sun seemed to hide from Wind Knoll for a long time the coming day. When the wind demon controlled the fog, which swallowed the isolated town, Scarlet got ready to head for work when the temple's clock chimed the tenth hour. She was eager to get up and out of the temple for a moment, hoping that in doing so, she would escape the uneasiness she felt within the atmosphere.

Scarlet pulled out a regular white t-shirt with a pair of jeans and a matching pair of white, elbow length gloves to cover up the scars she had embedded within her arms. She slipped her tiny feet within her white tennis shoes before heading out the door of her bedroom she was assigned to within the temple. Scarlet's shoes squeaked against the marble flooring before being muffled by the carpet, which ran down the halls in a neat fashion.

Soon her skin was caressed by the warm, morning air as she headed through the forest up ahead that would connect to Willard Drive. The walk through the misty woodlands was hard on her, but Scarlet dragged her feet through the side of the dirt road, eventually catching a glance of the Forest Temple belonging to the fox demon she spoke to about Blossom's life, which was in the balance. The thought of Blossom, and how she hadn't been to work to hear of the outcome of things lately, Scarlet soon started sprinting quickly towards the end of the forest she could just barely see.

Her shoes beating against the cement soon, Scarlet made it to the store she worked at to open the door quickly, seeing as Silvia was already there inside. The sound of the bell ringing caught the raven haired woman from where she was arranging things behind the counter. She cocked her thin brow at the fearful looking Scarlet.

"What's got you all in a tizzy?" Silvia asked as she made her way beyond the front counter.

"Where's Blossom?" Scarlet asked breathlessly with her hands hitting her thighs as she attempted to steady herself from the panic run. "Is she working today?"

Silvia clutched a medium sized sign within her hands that Scarlet couldn't read at first as the young woman made her way towards the front door. Her fingernails tapped upon the cardboard before she shook her head. "I am afraid she isn't." Silvia turned the sign around in her hands that read clearly: **HELP WANTED** in big, bolded, red letters. Making her way past Scarlet, she went to the front window to post it up. "She called me up a day or so ago and told me she wouldn't be coming in anymore."

Scarlet fidgeted with the end of her white shirt she was wearing as she watched Silvia place up the sign. "How—how did she sound?"

Banging her palms upon the sign to make it stick, she grunted when she pushed back with a slight stretch. "She sounded relieved, actually, and that girl used to enjoy working here." Silvia was oblivious to the past live Blossom had been hiding from. She didn't find anything about Blossom odd as the girl's lies had been perfected about her life in attempts to hide from the fox demon's crazy worshippers.

Placing her hand upon her chest, Scarlet attempted to settle herself at the sound of that. _I guess she is okay_, she thought to herself before turning on her heels to head for the counter.

Silvia beat her to it, pointing to the aisles within the store. "You're on floor duty. Restock a few items we have in the back, will you?" Once she sat down upon the stool and opened her favorite magazine to the page she remembered leaving off on, Silvia pointed towards the red curtains hanging to the far right of the counter—straight ahead if you enter through the store's front door.

Scarlet turned towards the red curtained back area where she had felt restricted to going into even being an employee of the place. "I—I guess I will see what needs restocking then."

"Candles in the back, and a few of the Book of Shadows up front," Silvia went ahead to name a few things. "You can check the other items later, but those are our best selling items."

Her grayish green eyes turning back to the curtains hanging in the back, Scarlet made her way towards the back area hesitantly. As soon as she stood before the red fabrics hanging from the door archway, she felt this horrible feeling within the gut of her stomach. It made her want to throw up deep inside, but she slowly grabbed onto the silky curtains to pull them out of her way to make it into the back room.

Candles were lining the shelves that had apparently already been used given the way the wax on the candles were uneven. An upside-down pentagram was lined out on the floor—anybody who knew witchcraft to a degree would know that was worshipping the darker powers of the world seeing as the tip pointed down to hell. Dry blood could be seen upon the wooden floors and walls, making Scarlet feel queasy inside as she backed up slightly with her hand against her stomach.

Her head was pounding as she backed away from the backroom. With her hands upon her head, she shook it steadily to try and stop the dark, blood tainted images from flooding into her mind. A hand soon placed upon Scarlet's shoulder snapped her out of the awful trance she had found herself within. Her frightened eyes falling upon Silvia, they remained wide open with her mouth wide open.

"What the hell is in there!" Scarlet demanded to know as her entire body quaked and was strangled in pain.

Silvia looked at the slightly waving curtains with a neutral expression. "It is just our area where we celebrate to the demons," the raven haired woman explained as if it were nothing at all. "None of us could set up such things around our parents or at the temples as some still believe the demons are actually 'Gods'." Silvia laughed at the thought of such idiocy of the human kind.

"Why is that pentagram upside down?" Scarlet asked, still trying to catch her breath.

"Do you know anything about witchcraft?" Silvia wondered, almost belittling Scarlet's intelligence. She made her way inside of the backroom as her body was numbed to the darkness, which had gathered there, to pull out what she needed Scarlet to put up on the shelves.

"I know a good bit of information, and I know that pointing that thing upside down is like putting a Christian's cross the same way!" Scarlet exclaimed.

The boxes hit the ground with Silvia leading them to the ground. She couldn't help but find Scarlet's words a bit odd with all things concerning. Silvia couldn't help but get a bit defensive with her own. "Hun, they are demons—you know what demons are and where they come from, right? They come from hell. Ya know that place where the pentagram is supposed to point towards." Grabbing a cutting knife, Silvia opened the packages nearby. "It's to help them gain more power with the sacrifices we give them."

Scarlet's skin began to crawl. "You—sacrifice people?"

"No, we do animal sacrifices," Silvia replied with a roll of her eyes at the woman's assumption.

"But that's still wrong!"

A silence loomed over the store after Scarlet's outburst. Silvia stared at Scarlet closely as she steadily rose to her feet. Scarlet was slightly fearful that she would be pushed out of the store and left with no money. It actually made her think twice at that very moment about saying anything further to Silvia. Silvia continued to stare at Scarlet long and hard before finally speaking.

"Scarlet, we have been wrong ever since this town was created," she felt need to point out, her tone almost appearing to scoff at her co-worker. "We're worshipping demons, and we'll all burn in hell once we die. And you are no saint!"

Scarlet pulled back at that comment wishing to dodge the slap Silvia was unleashing with her words.

"You are worshipping them as well," Silvia pointed out with a wave of her hand. "No matter what fantasy world you live in, they are demons, and demons rule hell!"

Silvia's words slapped Scarlet harshly across the face. She lost her breath as she stood there almost wishing to flee from the store. Scarlet knew that the 'Gods of Wind Knoll' were actually demons, but that didn't give people the right to treat them as satanic guardians. They were nothing like that at all!

"Now help me with these items, will you?" Silvia almost demanded irritably as she pulled some of the wrapped candles out of the one she had opened. She was slightly eager to avoid the conversation the two of them were having and focus upon opening up the store.

"Sure," Scarlet said softly as she knelt down to the floor to pick up a few of the candles to carry to the back where they needed to be restocked.

She placed them where they were meant to be one by one, feeling sick still within the depths of her stomach as she did so. It was like a horrible case of cramps—something deep inside of her clawing at the inside of her belly trying to make its way out. Scarlet quickly covered her mouth in attempts to stop herself from throwing up as she knelt slightly down in the back to hide her sickness from Silvia, not wishing to be belittled by her once more.

Whatever was threatening to come up did so within her shaking palm. Scarlet pulled her hand back only to find a small pool of blood upon her pallid skin. She was startled as she wiped the corner of her mouth to find more traces there. Her breath quickening, she dove into her shirt to pull out her wind medallion to clutch within her blooded hand. Silently, there in the back of the store, she held it close to her chest and pleaded to herself for someone to come help her—anybody at that time as she said the summoning spell of the Wind God over and over again desperately.

"Will you hurry up?" Silvia asked almost angrily as she made it to the back to snap Scarlet from her chanting. "I don't have all day for this stuff to be put up, and seeing as we are short on hands thanks to Blossom's leave, I need you to work twice as hard."

Scarlet felt the entire area tilting as if she were in the middle of the ocean upon a ship rocking upon the waves. She held onto her stomach as she quickly ran for the front door. "I need some air!" She exclaimed hastily as she made it outside.

The door opened quickly, Scarlet's hand grabbed onto the bench just outside of the store to try and keep herself from tearing at her own stomach with her nails. The pain was getting worse by the second as she tried to settle whatever it was harming her. Once she sat upon the bench, the air began to blow harshly nearby, making her embrace herself from the chilly wind, which gave her goose bumps. The wind soon settled, leaving way for the wind demon to make his way over towards the hurting Scarlet.

His bare feet hurried across the cold cement before kneeling before her, witnessing her pain. "Scarlet, what's the matter?" He asked with his brow furrowed in worry.

Scarlet shook her head as she kept her arms about her stomach where the ruthless clawing continued. "I don't know!"

Jin narrowed his eyes slightly as he raised his hand to examine Scarlet's aching body. His eyes closed, he could see her spirit fighting with another of a demonic presence. The demon had made its home within her body. The demented creature with broken horns and bleeding, sharp fangs howled and snapped at the prying higher level demon—the demons' eyes a bright white color from what the wind demon could see. Hissing angrily, the evil soul tried to claw at Jin with his large hands, which appeared to be bigger than the creature's head—his nails as long as twelve inches or more.

"Dammit!" Jin swore loudly as he pulled his head back to avoid the attack. He shook his head to regain his awareness before grabbing onto Scarlet's shoulders. "Where the hell did this beast come from!" He exclaimed in worry. "This is a high level demon inside of you!"

Scarlet looked at her body, rubbing her hands upon her form hoping to get it out. "I got it from within the store!" She exclaimed in a whisper, threatening to cry at knowing something was trying to stay locked within her body to torture her soul. "Get it out—get it out of me!"

"You need to tell Silvia you feel sick and leave," Jin advised. "This demon is going to make you miserable until we get rid of it, and the only way I can do that is back at the temple with a few experienced priestesses."

She shook her head at his request. "I cannot do that! She needs me to work with Blossom gone…!"

"Scarlet, this demon is clawing at the innards of your stomach and attacking your spirit!" Jin felt need to explain in order to scare sense into her. "Unless you want to die when this thing manages to destroy your soul, I suggest you do so."

_I was scared to talk to Silvia about the situation once I made it back into the store. However, when I showed the blood on my hand, she allowed me to leave—assuring me she would find one of the night workers to fill in for me. I know she wasn't pleased with this outcome, but I couldn't allow this demon to destroy me…_

_The Wind Demon helped me back to the temple as quickly as his wind could carry him as the pains within my body were getting worse by the second. It was as if this demon knew what was to happen and wanted to destroy me before he could be taken care of._

One of the hooded priestesses in the temple leaned over within Scarlet's hazy sight with Jin close by. Her eyes were shadowed by the white hood she wore, leaving anyone to guess her eye shape and color. Her hand, chilled by the cold temperature of the temple, rested upon the troubled woman, who lied upon the bed within the hospital wing of the building.

"This is indeed a high level demon," the woman's deep voice beckoned from the densely lit room. "I thought such demons were kept at bay by your friends, my Lord."

Scarlet listened to the two conversing and watched them through her blurry vision, which threatened to fail her. Sweat had marked her entire body as it fought to stay alive within the shell it had chosen to live within.

"Apparently not," Jin said sternly. "There must be a portal, which allowed them within this world from the depths of hell." He gazed at the priestess next to him. "Can you get rid of this beast? If you can get it out of her, I can destroy it."

"Can you not destroy it inside of her?" Another priestess asked from within the room.

"If I do that, I kill her too," Jin sighed, massaging his forehead with his fingers. "Right now that demon is latched on tightly to her body, suffocating her spirit. If we don't get it out right now, she will be dead before night."

The priestess within view looked to the others within the room. "Let us get to work then."

Two hooded women came into Scarlet's line of sight, grabbing onto her wrists to bind them above her head while others worked on strapping her down to the bed—making Scarlet feel like she was in a mental institution as the leather belts were pulled over her stomach, chest, and legs. She tossed her head from side to side with her toes curled and her hands clutched within the leather straps, which bound her.

The lead priestess made her way back into view with the Wind's Word within her grasp and a few items considered holy to the demon's people. "The beast is within her stomach. It is trying to hide from us," she almost scoffed as she handed a Celtic wind cross over to one of the women next to her. Raising her hands, she motioned for the others nearby to come closer. "Form a circle."

Everyone within the room, five in total, came into a circle around the bed. Each could not be identified thanks to the hoods they wore. It made the scene appear eerie to Scarlet as she suddenly felt the urge to run as they all raised their hands upwards with their palms open. The lead priestess kept the Wind's Word within her left hand so begin reciting a few spells that would torment the creature and provoke it out of Scarlet's human form.

The pain at that moment became unbearable as Scarlet arched her back off of the bed, screaming loudly as the clawing within her body became more fierce. The grunting and screaming she unleashed began to mix with that of the beast inside of her—becoming disgruntle and demented sounding. Her fingers twisting about in a sickening fashion, the demon forced the human woman to use his might to break the leather bindings across her legs.

Nobody moved under the witness of such a thing. Even Jin appeared unfazed by it as he kept his focus upon Scarlet and the demonic energy emitting from her thanks to the intruder within her body.

"Keep going," he merely said sternly. "He is threatening to come out."

The priestesses continued their chanting for an hour, the demon refusing to let go of the body he had taken home within. Jin became impatient at this moment as he bared his fangs angrily at the soul, which soon had Scarlet's entire form under his possession.

"_**COME OUT, BASTARD!**_" The demon yelled angrily as he was feeling Scarlet's soul singing a deafening tone within his ears.

At his angered tone, Scarlet's skin began to randomly break into cuts and gashes all over her body. They bled, almost soaking her shirt and dying it red. The agonizing expression upon Scarlet's face halted for a moment before being placed with a demented grin and an eerie laugh. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head, she looked at the wind demon with nothing but the whites of her eyes. "_Scream at me all you want_," the demon advised through Scarlet. "_I refuse to move. I know you lack the demonic heart to kill one of your weak, human worshippers._"

Jin cocked his brow before pulling a sword he had brought with him out into the scene. He placed it horizontally before him within the sheath before pulling the sword from where it was placed slowly. "Do you want to test that theory, demon?" Jin asked with his eyes narrowed and full of a fearful rage.

The bluff worked slightly as the laughter and mocking smile disappeared, leaving the demon to frown at Jin. "_You wouldn't_."

Quickly Jin threw the sword back without hesitation to bring forward towards Scarlet, threatening to kill her with the blade he held.

Believing Jin this time, the demon fearfully pulled from the woman he was within as soon as the blade rested upon Scarlet's forehead. The chilling blade forced her body to jerk slightly as the demon quickly left her—he fearing that the wind demon would actually kill them both. Jin didn't, however, as he let the weapon rest an inch from the surface of the woman's skin. The wind demon knew that would be enough to force the high level beast from Scarlet's body.

His deep blue eyes caught the sight of the demon attempting to leave through the temple walls. Opening his palm, he gathered up enough of his wind to destroy the damned being there within the circular room they were within. The cry of pain from the demon echoed throughout the halls to those sensitive to its cries as he was destroyed there within the Wind Temple.

"My Demonic Lord," One of the priestess began in a fearful tone as she was checking on Scarlet. "She is not breathing!"

Jin looked over his shoulder at the bleeding, breathless woman before hurrying over to her side to look her over quickly. "Get out of here—I can take care of this!" He demanded, his words quickened with his demonic heartbeat.

"But—!"

"_**GET OUT!**_" He yelled angrily as he ripped the leather restraints off of Scarlet before bothering with her shirt.

The priestesses darned not say or do anything else as they quickly left the wind demon to be alone. They knew he was only serious and easily angered whenever something desperately needed to be done—they were unaware what was to be done, however as they waited outside of the room.


	16. Chapter 16

Scarlet's spirit had drifted from her body, appearing in nothing but a dark void. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw nothing but the darkness surrounding her spirit. It made her wonder, with how dark it was, if her eyes were truly opened. Her soul appearing to float there upon her back, Scarlet pulled her feet down so they would touch the pitch black ground beneath her.

"_**Where am I…?**_**"** She wondered as she walked forward with her arms out, waving them about to try and find any object, which may be before her unseen.

An eerie growl could be heard emitting from the darkness before being followed by a few screams of what sounded like terror. She looked around the darkened area quickly when the sounds started getting louder and almost closer to her—so close, in fact, that it felt like something was breathing down her neck.

Her hand placed upon her neck, Scarlet turned around to try and face whatever it was that felt as if it were threatening to sink its teeth into her skin. _**"Who's there!"**_ She demanded to know loudly. _**"Who are you!"**_

Images began pounding against her head as she stood there being laughed at and teased by unseen damned souls. They were brief at first; one after another attacking her mind and starting to stir up a headache that just made her want to scream. The images were of Wind Knoll. At first they appeared normal only to show decay and ruin with blood splattered upon the streets and some dripping from the broken windows. Everything appeared decollate at one point finally as her mind was quickly taken down the nearby street towards Lavender Lane.

The speedy rush of the image soon stopped and traveled by slowly to show her the outcome of her home. It had rusted over and the front door and windows were boarded up as if to prevent people from coming in or at least those who were probably still around within the decayed looking town. Blood was splattered on the pavement as were, what appeared to be, bones from humans and animals.

As her spirit remained outside of her destroyed house, a sudden scream from inside of the house startled her to the point of covering her ears and kneeling down to the ground beneath her. _**"Stop it; stop it; STOP IT!"**_

A hand came out of the darkness behind her to grab onto her shoulder and pull her away from the scene. Scarlet spun around to come face to face with the wind demon in his natural, demonic form.

"_**Come on!"**_ Jin insisted eagerly as he grabbed onto her wrist to pull her back into the darkness. _**"I have to get you back to your body or your spirit will be lost from your body forever!"**_

Scarlet was mostly pulled as the empty darkness soon turned into blinding light, which soon engulfed the shadows. Her once lifeless body began to twitch slightly from her soul being returned to her once more. Inhaling sharply, she opened her eyes and attempted to shoot upright upon the bed she was upon only to feel something heavy upon her body to keep her from doing so. Her eyes finally focusing upon the blurry room about her, she looked down at the wind demon, who was lying atop her body. Once he stirred and steadily began to wake, she grunted whilst attempting to push him off with her body as she had found her hands were locked tightly into his.

"Get off me, big foot," she demanded wearily.

Jin steadily rose off of Scarlet, pulling his fingers from between her own. "Are you okay?" He asked, ignoring her comment.

Scarlet still squinted from the bright candlelight before bothering to move only to flinch in pain from the many open wounds she had received from the demonic spirit. She released a brief cry of displeasure before remaining still once more. "My God…what happened…!"

Pulling from the side of the bed Scarlet was strapped to, Jin headed over towards one of the many wooden tables nearby to gather a few things he knew he would need in order to conceal the many gashes on her body before coming back to where he had stood previously. "That demonic spirit ripped at your body when we tried to get it to come out. Some demons will do that when they possess a human body." Jin wrapped up Scarlet's torn apart torso with medicine dipped bandages in a hurry. "Now, tell me how did that thing get into your body?"

Hissing from displeasure of the medicine stinging her blooded body, she forced herself to try and remember the events that were fearfully hazy to her no thanks to the dark force that had taken over her previously. "I…it came from the store—ouch! Be careful!" Scarlet scolded as she clutched her fists and closed her eyes tightly. "Silvia had a dark shrine hidden within the back room, and when I stepped over the upside-down pentagram, I suddenly felt very sick to my stomach."

Jin halted in what he was doing for a moment, gazing at Scarlet seriously. "Silvia seriously did it?" He asked in amazement. "She created a portal through to the darkest parts of hell!"

"Can humans do that?" Scarlet wondered dumbfounded from where she lain still.

"Humans are capable of many things depending on their bloodline and willpower," Jin expressed. "Humans can create evil, dark powers within their own homes from negative feelings in the heart if they are not careful. Silvia has been worshipping the darker side of Wicca to speak with us, and it has created a dark portal for high level demons to crawl through. I am surprised she hasn't been attacked yet."

"We can't really have powers, can we?" Asked Scarlet once more with a slight scoff of disbelief. "Can we…?"

"Witches and wizards—what bloodline do you think they came from?" Jin asked with a shrug. "Within every human there is a capability of performing the unimaginable. The human emotions can accomplish about anything when put into focus!"

"What are you going to do about the portal?" Scarlet wondered as she hissed slightly from a twinge of pain as she attempted to move her right arm.

Jin hummed in thought, cupping his chin as he gazed off to the side with his blue eyes darting back and forth in thought. "I will have to talk to Kurama about it. He's better at this sort of thing than I am." Once he finished bandaging up Scarlet, he picked her up slowly within his arms regardless of the displeased sounds she created. "Oookay, now to get you back to your bedroom."

"Oh, God—be gentle, you big klutz!" Scarlet demanded as her entire body ached from the movements the wind demon made.

The wind demon didn't say anything to her although he did chuckle within the back of his throat. He made his way out of the priestess' room and into the hallway where all of them were waiting eagerly for the word on Scarlet's behavior. When Jin saw their expressions of worry and slight ease, he nodded at them. "Don't worry, she's okay."

Regardless, the priestesses followed behind the wind demon, knowing that the girl recently cured would still be part of their responsibility until she was declared fully healed.

Making it to the room Scarlet was assigned, Jin kicked it open with his foot once one of the priestesses unlocked it for him. He made his way into the dimly lit room and placed Scarlet gently down on her bedcovers for a moment. Jin pulled the covers out from underneath her before placing them over the injured human.

"Alright," Jin said, scratching his forehead with his thumbnail, "I am going to send someone to go talk to Silvia about your sickness. You cannot go back to that store, at least not for awhile." He motioned behind his shoulder at the priestesses standing there in wait. "Some will be here to help you when you need it." Excusing himself, the wind demon headed for the doorway. "I am going to go speak to Kurama. I'll be back later."

One of the priestesses nearby that Jin could trust, he pulled off to the side for a moment to speak to her alone. The others came over to Scarlet, who was trying to listen in on the conversation between the demon and the hooded priestess in the hallway, but her hearing wasn't that excellent, and soon her vision was crowded from the three who came to her bedside.

"When you get the chance, can you get Scarlet a new book among other things?" Jin asked in a whisper between the two of them. "Some of her belongings were destroyed by her step-father."

"Of course," the young woman said with a nod. "I will get a few things for her from the Worship Room."

"Thank you, Razz," Jin said simply before quickly hurrying down the hallway so he could go speak to the others.

The woman smiled simply at the sound of her nickname coming from the wind demon. Her smile was replaced with a worried frown as she gazed over at Scarlet and recalling her hellish experience. Grabbing onto her priestess gown, 'Razz' walked into the hallway and followed the corridor she was within to the west where the Worship Room was located.

--

The floorboards creaked eerily as Kurama stepped down the hallways of his own temple with his hands behind his back. His eyes swung back and forth between the right and left side of the halls to make sure everything was in perfect order. He walked slowly until feeling a powerful negativity trickling down his spine. Kurama stopped dead within his tracks at the feel of the uneasy presence, leaving the large hallways quiet and void of all sounds.

Suddenly there came an eerie moaning of the walls and a horrible, inaudible rasping sound one could possibly mistaken for the wind. Kurama was no fool as he stood there, listening careful to the sounds, which came closer to where he was standing. He closed his eyes slowly to look through the area with his spiritual senses.

The hallway appeared in black and white within his third eye as he gazed cautiously about the area, which appeared to breathe heavily from some unseen force Kurama was trying to pinpoint. Whatever it was, it was creeping about with a sickening cracking fashion, moving quickly towards where the redhead was standing in the Earth Temple halls. The rasping sound started to get louder and louder the closer the creature seemed to get as Kurama kept his eyes upon the invisible being as he could clearly see it was heading towards him and nearly upon his back.

A hand fell upon the redhead's shoulder, startling him slightly as he looked over at the one responsible. "Kurama!" Jin began urgently, not having the time to apologize for sneaking up on him. "I've got to speak to you about something!"

Hearing the urgent tone in Jin, Kurama looked about the hallway for a moment as if trying to hunt for the negative force once more only to find nothing before addressing him. "What is the matter?"

The two went to Kurama's bedroom to discuss the matter that Jin had endured. Leaning against the edge of his desk, the fox demon cupped his mouth in thought of the situation. "Are you sure about this?" Kurama asked, his expression serious as he tapped his fingers slightly against the wood beneath his hands.

"I am very positive!" Jin exclaimed as he motioned his hands. "One of my worshippers got attacked by a high level demon and nearly died. She said that the demon came from a portal created by one of the darker worshippers of Shishi at this store she works at."

"I'll go to the store with the others to shut off the portal," said Kurama sternly. "You can take care of that injured worshipper of yours." He was about to turn around to get the others only to be stopped by Jin.

"Can you shut off the portal without Touya?" Jin asked with a raise of his hand slightly. "Scarlet needs to talk to him about her mother—again."

Kurama sighed slightly at the thought of letting Touya leave the group in order to speak to a worshipper. "I really could use Touya in this. If you are willing to take his place, I can let him go."

"Agreed!" Jin quickly said with a nod. "I will take Touya's place in closing the portal."

Waving his fingers over towards himself, Kurama pushed up off of the desk he was leaning against to head for the door to his bedroom. "Come on; let's get this closed up. I feel something is wrong…here." As he said that, Kurama couldn't help but stop for a moment to look about the room as the atmosphere was making him uneasy as they both eventually stepped outside into the Earth Temple's hallways.

--

Scarlet's soul wandered once more as she fell asleep in attempts to ease the pain she was feeling. Her displeasures could be heard echoing down the empty halls within the night as she tried to fight the sounds and sights of hell calling to her. Rust and blood were splattered all over familiar areas as sounds of the damned filled the foggy air—her soul attempting to run from them all though running towards her destroyed home.

"_**Scarlet?"**_

Stopping her steps once she heard her name echo about her, Scarlet stopped just outside of her boarded up front door to gaze up at the clouded sky above her. She tried to focus on the person calling to her over the escalating moans of the damned, but it was frustrating and hard to do so.

"_**Scarlet, where are you?"**_

"_**I am here! I am here!" **_She shouted loudly continuing to gaze desperately up at the sky above her.

Looking back at the end of the driveway of her house, she watched as a woman, with her head lowered and her stringy blond hair covering her face, swayed back and forth towards Scarlet from the heavy fog of the surreal dream. The damned woman had on a torn, ratted off-white dress, drenched in blood and dirt. Her arms twisted with her head in sickening ways—she acting as if she were a puppet on a string with how she would move un-human like. Even if her rotted feet appeared to be walking slowly, it was as if every blink Scarlet made, she got a good distance closer.

Running up to the boarded up front door, Scarlet banged upon it harshly with both her fists, regardless of them blistering and starting to bleed from the eager bangs she unleashed upon it. _**"Let me in! Let me in! Help me!"**_

With several cracks of her neck, the spirit woman turned her head to the side slowly with her mouth dropping open almost six inches down to show the broken and destroyed teeth, which had decayed away within her mouth in life after death. She released a horrifying scream of anger at Scarlet as her badly decomposed hands reached out for her.

Scarlet pressed her back against the boarded door behind her, closing her eyes with tears streaming down her face from the fear she couldn't deny was overwhelming her. She could smell the woman's horrible breath upon her face, making Scarlet beg over and over again to be left alone.

A cold feeling falling over the area as, large, thick ice shards jutting up quickly from the ground to fence in the decaying building and Scarlet. The damned human soul was quickly pierced by one of the building length shards, demolishing her body completely.

The sky raining blood for that moment, Scarlet eventually opened her eyes to witness the large ice shards before her before gazing down at the ground before her when she noticed a soft blue light emitting from the cement. She stepped back from the circular light before her to watch as the ice demon Touya surfaced from the ground through the light portal he had created.

"_**Ice Demon—what are you doing here!" **_She exclaimed in wonder though she was eternally grateful.

Touya looked over his shoulder at the frightened Scarlet, noticing her tears of fear. _**"Jin told me you wanted to speak to me. And it's Touya by the way. I do have a name."**_ Opening his arms, he accepted the frightened girl within them for a moment even if consoling was hardly his thing as a demon. Gazing around the scene, Touya realized that there was something amiss about the surroundings. _**"Where are we? Is this Wind Knoll?"**_

"_**This is my…house…I think,"**_ Scarlet answered, wiping some of the blood off of her face with her sleeve. _**"It's boarded up for some reason, and I don't know why! This is the second time I have seen it like this…"**_

Touya furrowed his brow in wonder as he made it over to the door to place his chilly palm upon it and feel of the energy surrounding the area. Blinking a few times at the dark energy he could sense, he eventually pulled his hands back quickly to bring back to his sides. _**"This is…this is bad."**_

"_**What is it?"**_ Scarlet asked as she made her way closer to the worried ice demon.

Turning around, Touya quickly grabbed onto Scarlet's wrist to pull her away from the building once he pulled down his ice shards from the area. _**"I am hoping the guys can handle the problem, but I really need to send one of the priestesses over to the store where the demons have gathered to shut off the portal. The demons are predicting Wind Knoll's fall and are teasing those who are sensitive with it!"**_

Scarlet's fingers twitched slightly outside of her slumber as her soul made it back to her body thanks to Touya's guidance. Batting her eyes open, she shot up in bed with a quick inhale once she was conscious. She shook her sweaty face before looking over at her bedside to find Touya there.

"What is so bad about what you saw?" She asked. "The demons are just teasing us, right?"

"Demons only tease before completely ripping someone's heart out of their chest after cutting off their limbs slowly," Touya said seriously. "They are planning on trying to pull Wind Knoll under, and I have to send somebody to the others to tell them!" He quickly pushed from the bedside he was sitting upon with a simple wave to Scarlet. "I'll be right back, Scarlet." Touya ran from the bedroom to head down the halls to find one of the priestesses to send as a messenger girl to the Black Magic Store.

--

Kurama had gathered Shishiwakamaru, Jin, Suzuka, Hiei, and Chuu to the opened portal within the store. When he had pulled the red curtains back to examine the room, he did feel a horrible vibe from within the enclosure. He waved those around him within the room and to make a circle around the upside down pentagram drawn upon the floor and marked with candles of blood, dipped in dry sacrificial blood.

"Alright, everybody, let's close this portal up," Kurama instructed.

Hiei growled at the instructions though did as he was told. "Humans always have to get themselves in deep, and we are the ones left to bail them out."

Shaking his head, Kurama focused on the portal that had the damned moaning in anger and want to escape from the depths of hell. "Regardless, we offered to take care of this town, so we might as well hold up our part of the deal whether the humans are sane or not."

"C'mon, let's get this over with," Suzuka sighed as he outstretched his hand over the center of the upside down pentagram with the others.

All of the demons focused their demonic energies upon the opened portal in attempts to seal it; however, as they tried the demons attempting to keep it open and get through attacked by sending out their own energies to slice through the high level demons' hands. When Kurama felt his skin slicing open thanks to the threads of demonic energy slicing through the surface of his skin, he flinched slightly with a slight bear of his teeth.

"Don't budge!" He demanded. "We cannot let these demons through!"

This first wave of the attacks weren't much until. Even if their hands were getting bloody, they refused to move from their posts. Unfortunately the second wave was more powerful, and Chuu even threatened to pull his hand back from the group.

"Don't move!" Kurama ordered once more even if he was threatening to withdraw his hand as well. It dripped with blood with how many cuts had been placed upon his fingers and palm as were the others. Closing his eyes tightly from the pain, he tried to stay focused on closing the portal as they were nearly there judging by the demonic energies getting weaker to his senses.

Her sandaled feet pounding into the ground, 'Razz' tried to make it to the store as she made her way through the misty farm area of Wind Knoll. The trees and buildings passing her by at a blinding speed, she hurried out of the woodlands and onto Willard Drive. The door soon within reach, she started to bang upon it harshly in hopes of getting somebody's attention.

"Lord Jin!" She screamed loudly, continuing to slam her palm down upon the reinforced glass of the front door. "Lord Jin, I need to speak with you!"

Jin's ears catching the sounds up front, he turned his head to look over at the swaying curtains, losing his focus for that one moment. "Razz?" He wondered.

"Jin, **DON'T**!" Kurama yelled only to be too late.

A powerful demonic power seeped through the portal and sliced right through Jin's palm and creating a small hole within his hand where it started to bleed uncontrollably. The wind demon quickly brought his injured hand to his chest, holding onto his wrist tightly with his eyes closed firmly in unbearable pain.

Forcing to pull his hand away from the circle as well, Kurama made his way over to Jin to look at his hand to see it had indeed been pierced by the power unleashed. He ripped off part of the kimono he was wearing in attempts to bandage it up only to stop midway as the ground began to shake.

"Kurama, we can't hold this any longer!" Shishi pointed out through his clutched teeth as he tried to refrain from moving from where he stationed.

The floorboards began to break and crack slowly as the trembling got worse with every passing second. Kurama grabbed onto Jin's opposite hand to help him up quickly. "Let's get out of here! The demons are breaking through! **RUN**!"

The entire building shaking hysterically, the demons quickly made it out of the building. Razz was outside and in shock to witness Jin in horrible pain at his hand being punctured. She hurried over to him only to hold onto the demon for support as the tremors traveled out onto Willard Drive to start rattling the houses and stores nearby—one even so much as collapsing right before them.

"What is going on!" Razz asked as she held onto the wind demon's side tightly.

"Hell has literally been unleashed onto the town," Jin said breathlessly before hitching in breath at the pain of moving his injured hand.

Hiei watched with a slow shake of his head. "They damned themselves from the very beginning. Ignorance has damned them all to hell."


	17. Chapter 17

_**Author's Notes**_: (Copy and paste excuse here)—work, spiritual stuff, yada yada—that is why I have been so slow on working on this story.

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The breaking through of demons of all kinds of levels awoke the small, sleeping town no thanks to the heavy tremors erupting throughout the streets. Lights quickly came on one by one down Willard Drive causing the demons there within the misty streets to slightly panic.

"We have to get out of here!" Kurama ordered as he pulled from the group, waving at the others to follow him. "Into the woods!"

Razz helped the injured wind demon into the woods with the others, not wishing a scene to occur if by chance the people who were coming out to view the sights could see the demons. Hiei used his quick speed to dash into the shadows of the forested area of Wind Knoll as did Shishi. Chuu nearly stumbled upon the slippery pavement as he made it to cover with Suzuka right behind him. Everyone shadowed within the woodlands, they listened to the cries of the town dwellers—each demon mostly picking up on the mourning and fear of their worshippers.

"What happened!" A young woman cried amongst the screams and yelling of those out and about with lit lanterns.

"The buildings have collapsed over there!" A man exclaimed. "What is going on!"

"What has angered the Gods?" An elderly woman muttered in disbelief at the sight before her.

All of them remained quiet as they listened in from within the forest. The redheaded wind demon was catching negative thoughts from his worshippers out and about the town, making him cringe in worry and slight pain from his injury. "This is bad," Jin whispered to the demons nearby. "If those people find that the destruction started from within that building, the workers will all be sacrificed in order to atone for what they did…! It's been written in their 'Bibles' to us…!" Hitching in breath, Jin hissed in pain as he held onto the blooded bandage, wrapped about his hand. "**GAH**—dammit!"

Kurama quickly turned his attention to Jin upon hearing his cries of discomfort. "We have to get you out of here and tend to that wound."

Jin struggled to catch his breath from where he was sitting in discomfort. "No … what … what about the town?" He asked wearily.

Sighing in frustration, Kurama looked up at those nearby. "Shishi, go back to hell, and if you can find anybody else willing to help this cause, then let them. We need all the help we can get to have this invasion get under control before the whole town is overrun. The rest of you—I am counting on you to demolish want negative entities you can."

Hiei brought out his sword with a smirk set upon his face. "It's about time something interesting happened around here." And with that said he was gone.

"C'mon, there, lad; we can't let Hiei have all the fun now, can we?" Chuu remarked somewhat seriously as he headed out there after the fire demon.

Kurama watched as Suzuka followed without hesitation and as Shishi turned upon his heels quickly to hop off quickly down the dirt road towards the open portal to hell they often used to get through. He situated Jin upon his shoulder slightly, looking over at the frightened Razz with a nod of his head. "Come on, Razz. I need to get you both back to the Wind Temple. Right now, those are probably the only safe havens for anybody right now."

As the three of them tried to pull down the road, the air began to get chilly suddenly. It startled Kurama and caused him to stop momentarily. He narrowed his eyes slightly at the path ahead of them, feeling the chill mostly originating from up ahead. The fox demon was on guard until he saw a familiar figuring running towards them. "Touya?" He mumbled between the three of them inquisitively.

The trees nearly froze under the powerful influence of the worried ice demon as he hurried down the dirt path before him. He was more than relieved to see the group up ahead. "Kurama!" Touya yelled, waving his hand up in the air. "Kurama, we have a problem!" He managed to get out once he made it to the group.

"I know," Kurama sighed as he looked down at the injured Jin.

Seeing the pain Jin was within, Touya hurried over to his friend to help him to knees as he was in obvious pain. "What happened!" He exclaimed in worry.

"The demons broke through," Razz explained somberly. "They couldn't destroy the portal."

"Touya," Kurama began quickly, "go help the others control the city. Use your ice to bar the demons' way of escaping. Once we've done damage control, we'll think of what else to do."

Hearing the clock chime the coming hour, it brought Touya's attention to the towering clock within the center of the town. He knew he had to get to the top of the clock to have control over his ice barrier. Gathering up his speed and strength, he hurried towards Wind Knoll's town clock.

--

Back within the Wind Temple, Scarlet felt unnerved as she waited for Touya or Jin to return. She couldn't very well move as she was still aching all over from the exorcism performed previously. Not having the patients to lie around and wait, she decided to instead roll over and just try to sleep off the time.

The walls of the temple creaked and moaned with the wind blowing harshly outside of the sanctuary. The candles lit within the corridors began to go out one by one as if by some unseen breath or presences. An eerie breathing could be heard inhaling in a sickening fashion down the halls. The halls were empty at the moment as most of the worshippers had gone to pray—all except Scarlet, that was.

Whatever was lurking in the walls of the temple made it down to Scarlet's bedroom. The shadow covered her door before slipping under the door crack to make it into the young woman's bedroom. The once calm, safe room felt of death and fear, prompting Scarlet to shoot awake as soon as her candles were blown out.

Her breath seen there upon the dark room to indicate the temperature drop, she shivered under the covers, bringing them closer to her. "Who's…who's there?"

Scarlet could hardly see through the darkness, which now consumed her bedroom. Her hearing, on the other hand, could pick up the sounds of the rasping breath, which lurked about her small bedroom. Eyes almost seemed to tug at her attention; it was making her feel as though she was watched from where she was trying to hide halfway under her covers. Her teeth chattering from the chilly breeze and the uncomfortable feeling, Scarlet grabbed tightly onto her wind charm she had about her neck still.

"Get out of here!" The woman demanded, attempting to focus her will and courage into the item within her scarred hand. "You are not welcome here!"

At that moment, the creature hiding within the room screeched loudly in displeasure at her weak attempt to banish it. From across the room, where it was lurking, it quickly ran over to where it could sense the human woman, pinning her down with its nearly seven inch hands and twelve inch fingers. The demon's nails scratched up and down Scarlet's already scarred arms, making her scream and attempt to fight in the dark, feeling blood speckle upon her face and chest as she did so.

"Get off of me!" She screamed.

The door soon flew open upon her demand to have Kurama step through the doorway and raise his hand quickly. "_**BE GONE!**_" A gust of rose pedals swept from the fox demon's hand to slice through the demon's decaying skin.

The demon screeching in agony quickly disappeared from the room through the wall. With the beast soon gone from the area, Jin made his way over to the burnt out candles to relight them with a simple movement of his hand. Razz made her way quickly over to the horrified Scarlet to look at her deep wounds within her arms.

"The demons have made it within the temples," Razz said nervously. "We need to keep them at bay."

Jin nodded in agreement as he kept his hand close to his chest. "Razz, gather the high priestesses and have them focus their energies on creating a barrier about the Wind Temple for the time being. I am too weak to do it now."

Grabbing the hem of her white skirt, Razz quickly hurried out of the room. "Yes, my Lord."

Kurama made his way over to Scarlet in Razz's place. "More than likely more of the others in this temple have been attacked. I can sense energy levels dropping throughout the sanctuary."

"Go help them," Jin begged with a slight hiss in pain as he made his way over to the fox demon. "I can take care of Scarlet and mind my hand till then."

Kurama quickly fled from the bedroom, too fast for Scarlet to follow. "Jin…what's going on!" Scarlet demanded to know in fright as she stayed within her bed afraid to move.

The wind demon made his way over to the bedside to sit upon it with a sigh. "Silvia really did it this time…she opened a barrier to hell and now a good many of the demons from hell have crossed into Wind Knoll." His eyes met with Scarlet in the candlelit room. "Now, all levels of demons, high class and low, have a way to make it into your town, and who knows what is going to happen now."

Outside, chaos was still reining down upon the town. Screams of agony echoed throughout the streets as Chuu and the others tried to take down the demons, which had entered through the portal. Blood of the slaughtered demons splattered upon the cold, hard ground and upon Chuu's skin as he demolished those he could.

"They just keep coming!" Suzuka complained as he continued to try and fend off the hordes of demons and damned souls.

"Shishi should be here soon with reinforcements!" Chuu shouted over the cries of the damned.

Touya quickly made his way up to the town's clock tower. He turned around quickly once upon the clock, to look down at the chaotic town below him with his hands together in a pyramid form. "I will not allow you demons to escape this town!" Closing his eyes, Touya began to concentrating on his ice magic, prompting a strong, icy mist to emanate from the clock tower.

The temperature within the town dropping, the ground began to rumble once more before disrupting to allow forth large, mile high ice-shards from the depths of hell to barricade the outer parts of the town. Suzuka and the others watched as the ice shards from the ice demon jutted up quickly from the ground one after the other.

"Touya," Suzuka muttered as he took down another demon, which was fighting against him. "He must be trying to bar their way."

Through the woodland, Shishi was running at lightening speed with his samurai sword at his side with the band of demons, who offered to help, following behind him. Once he made it onto Willard Drive, he unsheathed his sword and sliced through damned souls, which were within his path as he made it down the road that led to his temple. He could hear the cries of his followers and feel their souls threatening to part from their bodies.

"Split up!" He demanded to the demonic army he brought with him. "Protect the humans and slay the wretched!"

The high priestesses and priests of the temples knew what they had to do as the battle was raging onwards outside and inside of the very temple walls. Those who were able, and who were more in tune with their abilities, ran to the main worshipping room to stand opposite each other and focus their abilities on creating a barrier about the outside of the temple.

"Stay focused!" One of Hiei's worshippers demanded within the Fire Temple to those nearby.

"Do not break the circle!" Kurama's high priestess shouted over the screams echoing throughout the temple walls within the Earth Temple far across town.

"We will not give in," A high priest of Touya's clan announced to those high enough in status and in power within the Ice Temple belonging to the ice demon.

"Raise the barrier!" Razz demanded to the wind priestesses with a raise of her hand.

Damned souls under the influence of Shishi and his worshippers rose from the depths of the soiled ground to create a dark barrier about the dark temple belonging to the death bringer demon. The rest of the barriers arose one after the other to protect those within the selected temples.

Scarlet heard the rough wind barrier muffled beyond the temple walls from where she remained in bed with Jin not too far away. "Jin, what is going on?" She asked, slightly terrified.

"The high priests and priestesses have raised the wind barrier. I was unable to do it myself," Jin explained. "I am not sure what is going to happen now, kiddo, but I fear the worse."

--

The war went on for hours within the night until most of the demons of low level were either killed or frightened back into the portal from which they came. The people throughout the town were frightened and not sure what to do about what had occurred. Touya and the other demons were aware that they were acting like lost sheep, oblivious of what to do now with part of their town destroyed and covered in blood.

"What are we going to do now?" Shishi asked as he watched from atop the mountains overlooking the town below. "That portal is still opened and more demons are going to come through."

Kurama sighed softly through his nostrils. "We are going to have to appoint a member of our faction to speak on our behalf. We have no other choice."

There was a type of sorrow in the fox demon's tone, prompting Touya to look over at him with a hum in thought. "You foresee something we can't, don't you?"

He closed his eyes and looked off to the side as if wishing to avoid the topic. Kurama eventually looked back at Wind Knoll with his wild, red hair blowing about the hectic wind currents about the mountains. "Come; let's head back to the temples. We need to reside there more than ever now."

Jin had eventually parted from Scarlet's bedroom, leaving the young woman to recuperate on her own for the time being. Scarlet couldn't find peace there within the temple room all by herself. With what strength she could muster, she slowly got to her bare feet and tiptoed to the door to quietly open it to look down the hallway both ways before coming out of the room to make her way to the demon's own bedchambers.

She kept the robe about her tightly while making her way down the right hallway towards Jin's door, which she could eventually see at the end of the corridor Scarlet eventually found herself within. Placing her ear against the mahogany carved door, she listened for any unsettling sounds before rapping her knuckles upon the door. "Jin, are you there?"

It was silent at first until finally the wind demon spoke up. "Come in."

The door opened by the help of Jin's wind once the wind demon motioned his hand to beckon it to do so. He was sitting within the chair, situated in the center of his room appearing to be thinking. It was the first serious look Scarlet ever witnessed on the demon's face in a long while. "Is something wrong?" She asked quietly whilst making her way closer to the demon.

Jin moved his cheek from the back of his hand so as to sway his hand slightly at Scarlet's question. "Well, thanks to one human woman, your entire town is up in arms—willing to sacrifice anybody they can to the 'Gods' in hopes of appeasing them for what just happened tonight." He released a sigh of displeasure, placing his fingers over his face. "If it is found out that the previous placed you worked at horded this portal, you will all be killed in our name."

Scarlet inhaled sharply at the thought. "But—that's impossible, right? No human can locate a demon portal, right?"

Jin shook his head, biting his lower lip slightly. "Mmm, not really and those who can have sworn to secrecy knowing who caused the problem."

"But I didn't do anything!" Scarlet expressed openly, placing her hand upon her chest.

The wind demon shrugged. "I know you didn't, but you worked there and that is going to be enough for them to convict you." He pushed himself up out of the chair he was sitting within to make his way over to the frightened Scarlet to embrace her tightly. "It's alright, kiddo. You're going to be okay." Pulling back from her for a moment, he nodded at the doorway with a brief smile. "Why don't you head down to the Worshipping Hall? Razz will be there to help you with the knowledge you have been deprived of lately."

Scarlet blinked at Jin's nickname to the priestess. "Why do you call her 'Razz'?"

"Because she was a 'razz' when growing up in my temple," Jin explained with a slight chuckle. "Her real name is Rachael, but she will come to whatever name you call her." Gently he pushed against Scarlet's back to make her move faster towards the doorway. "Now, go on. I have some things to catch up on."

"Alright," Scarlet almost whispered as she turned on her heels to head out of the demon's chambers. But before she exited, she looked over her shoulder back at the wind demon. "Thanks, Jin—for at least being there for me…it's something I've been neglected of as well for a few years."

Jin offered another smile to her with a slight 'hmm' sound.

Scarlet managed to smile in return before heading down the corridor to find Razz as she was instructed. She managed to run into the young priestess when searching for the Worship Room. "Razz—Jin wanted me to speak with you about the Worship Room or what not."

"Hey," Razz greeted. "Your name was Scarlet Baker, right?"

"Yes, it is," Scarlet answered.

Razz looked at her wrist where her watch was resting to catch the time. "Alright, come with me then, Scarlet."

Scarlet did as she was asked, walking down the corridors littered throughout the large castle like temple with Razz leading the way. She felt a bit unsettled within the windy halls for once considering all that had happened. "So, how long have you been here at the temple?" She asked in attempts to strike up conversation.

"Since I was born," Razz simply answered as she shielded the candle within her possession from the rouge winds blowing about the halls to keep the wind demon company and relay messages to him.

"You were born in the temple too?" Scarlet inquired.

"I was born and raised in the temple," Razz explained as she turned down the upcoming right hallway. "My mother passed away when she gave birth to me, and I don't know what happened to my father. When that happens, it's up to the temple to raise the child."

"Wow, I am sorry about that," Scarlet sympathized continuing to follow behind the young priestess.

Razz gazed over her shoulder at Scarlet with a slight chuckle. "Why? I think I had a pretty good life here."

Scarlet wasn't sure what to say to Razz's comment as they finally came upon two large, arched doors carved with creative designs in the wood. Making their way through the doorway, Razz moved her hand from about the candle in her possession for a moment to outstretch it to the large looking library before them. She smiled down at Scarlet, "Here we are."

Making her way into the Worship Room, Scarlet couldn't help but be a bit surprised by the size of the room and what was within it. It seemed to go on for several feet in all directions and had more than fifty lines of items upon shelves lined up neatly. "Wow, so what all is in here?" She asked, gazing up at the arched ceiling painted with beautiful landscapes fitting Jin's desire.

"Anything that you will need, including book of shadows, crystal balls, candles, pendants, literature, ect," Razz named off. "Come with me, we have a lot to do for you seeing as you have been out of the loop for so long, my dear."

Scarlet stayed behind Razz as they walked down one of the many rows of books and items belonging to the wind demon.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Author's Notes**_: Baaah, forgive me! I was busy finishing a one-shot of mine, but now I can get back to my fan fics out in circulation.

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Scarlet hurried behind Razz, as the high wind priestess made her way through the Worship Room. "So your father destroyed what you had involving the wind demon?" Razz inquired as she finally stopped at one of the isles filled with many books involving magic and the history of the wind demon they were governed over.

"Yeah," Scarlet voiced softly. "He always felt this was devil worship and black magic, so he never cared to have it in the house."

Pulling the rolling ladder towards the shelf she was eyeing, Razz climbed up it cautiously to grab three books of old, leather binding. "Here, take these." She kept her focus on the literature lined before her while handing over the three books one at a time to Scarlet.

Scarlet accepted them, reading the titles aloud one at a time. "In the Darkness, Guide to Wind Magic, and Candle Magic—what is the first one about?" Asked Scarlet as she found no descriptions on the books.

"The first one is about Jin the Wind Master's past," Razz explained as she pulled two more down before slowly descending from the ladder steps. "It tells of his life before, during, and after being in the shinobi sect he used to be in."

The young, scarred woman couldn't help but raise a brow at the term, "Shinobi sect?"

"Yeah, or you know them as ninjas." Razz placed the other two books into Scarlet's arms, waving her to follow behind her. "He was an assassin for hire in the depths of hell before finding the strength to break free with Touya the Ice Master."

Scarlet was a bit surprised as she opened the book to the first page to read a bit of it whilst continuing to follow behind the high priestess. "I guess it's safe to say they didn't enjoy that life, hu?"

Razz merely smiled over her shoulder for a moment. "You'll find out as you read it. Now, let's get you some candles and a mirror."

A laugh could be heard from Scarlet. "A mirror? What good is a mirror? I have one in my bedroom."

Razz laughed aloud in return at Scarlet's comment. "Not a mirror for the sake of vanity—but a mirror for the sake of teaching you in the art of scrying." Turning down out of the isle they were within and slowly into the one diagonal to it, she skimmed the shelves of crystal balls, mirrors, clear stones, and pots used to contain water. "Scrying is used to see into the past, present, and future."

"Isn't that a witch thing?"

"Well, the religion we are under is wiccan," she explained to Scarlet. "And you make witch sound like an evil thing. Witches are not evil beginnings—the witch is only evil if the soul is."

"I figured that out when I ran into Silvia," Scarlet couldn't help but say with a soft sigh.

"Silvia isn't an evil witch by nature," Razz explained as she pulled a mirror down from the shelves. "She just thinks it is the purest way to worship. Here—take this one. It'll be easier for you to use." She passed down a mirror, which had Celtic designs upon its circular shape, showing off the black glass in the center.

Scarlet lifted a brow in confusion. "Why is the glass black and not clear?"

"Black is easier to use in the case of mirrors where clear is probably best for crystal balls." Once again Razz slowly came down the ladder in that isle she was using to make it next to Scarlet. "Okay, I will go get you a few white candles. In the mean time, you should go wash up before studying and such. I will take these to your room when I am through here."

"Where do I go to wash up?" Asked Scarlet.

"At the Cleansing Room," the priestess answered as she took the items from Scarlet. "Just exit through the doors at the other end of this room, follow the hallway till it dead ends, take a right and you should come upon the room at the end of that corridor."

"Alright, thank you." With that said, Scarlet headed out of the isle and out of the Worship Room to follow Razz's directions. The mahogany door soon within sight, Scarlet turned the knob and opened it slowly to make her way into the Cleansing Room.

The room had a rather large, square looking pool in the center of the room with pillars of white marble supporting the ceiling about the edge of the cleansing pool. There was a statue in the center of the water with three ladies holding up a circular plate, which had the water creeping down the sides of it. Scarlet made her way towards the edge of the cleansing pool only to stop halfway, hearing the water splash about slightly to indicate somebody else's presences in the waters. Curious as to whom it was, Scarlet quietly made it over to one of the pillars to peer around the side—her eyes widening at the sight before her.

Jin was already in the water himself, running his fingers through his wild hair to help the water cleanse every strand before throwing his head back to shake the water about. The demon stood a good few inches above the average human, making the water only come up to his upper thighs a bit. Even if the outfit the demon wore on occasion was revealing in itself, it was something else to see his entire muscular abdomen and part of his lower, curly mound.

Scarlet found herself unable to turn her attention away from the bathing demon. Her face blushing bright red, she inhaled sharply when Jin turned his attention slowly over towards where she was standing slightly behind one of the pillars. Turning around quickly so her back was facing the cold marble, she had her eyes widened and her face now red with embarrassment at being caught. _Oh God, Oh God…!_

The water sloshed about at the sound of Jin moving about within it. Once the water was silent, Scarlet took in a deep breath before turning around only to look up at the naked wind demon standing over her with his forearm resting against the pillar she was standing before. "Do you need something?" Jin asked, chuckling softly.

Letting out a brief, soft shriek, Scarlet stepped slightly away from the pillar she was against. "I—I am sorry! I didn't expect to find you here!" Her eyes looking down at the entire form of the naked wind master, Scarlet's eyes widened once more before turning away. "Dear Gods—I didn't expect you to just walk out like that!" She expressed nervously, bringing her hand up to cover her eyes.

Jin couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. "You act like it's going to bite you." Walking towards her, he placed his hand upon the nervous Scarlet's shoulder. "You best get used to it. This is a room for both men and women."

Scarlet looked up at Jin quickly. "You're kidding—right?"

Twisting his mouth slightly to the side, Jin hummed in thought. "Oh, that's right. You're still a virgin. I forget even though I can smell that on you. Often, virgins and only children are nervous about seeing anybody naked let alone men." Placing his finger to his mouth, he turned his head to the side with his eyes shifting back and forth in thought. "I can't really think of a way to cure that," Jin admitted as he turned to face Scarlet once more. "I guess only you can get over your fear of it. You need to use this place for cleansing rituals."The wind demon couldn't help but snap his fingers in realization of something. "You were never properly baptized under me."

"What? I thought I did that myself when I branded myself with your symbol," Scarlet said nervously, trying to keep her eyes from wandering down the demon's body once she gazed into his pure, blue eyes.

"In a way you did, but the way to invite you into my temple and open your body to me is to have you baptized here within this pool," Jin said with a brief chuckle. "As a baby, you were no doubt baptized under Touya, but seeing as you have a new mark upon your body indicating your devotion to me, you have to be baptized here under me."

"Since when do demons do baptisms!" Scarlet exclaimed.

"Centuries ago, the demons were asked to baptize the children coming into their temple," Jin explained while motioning with his hands in order to keep her calm. "We accepted the tradition as baptizing the humans would give us rights to their body. It was more or less a selfish thing of us back in the day, as we used the bodies under us to serve us without complaint and to release our sexual needs upon. But now it is to keep you all safe and to keep tabs on where you are on this world."

Scarlet crossed her arms and frowned up at the redhead looming over her. "Since when did you demons become so righteous?"

Jin couldn't help but hum with a smile, closing his eyes as he lowered his head slightly as if to think on the one responsible. "Touya and I often or not thank the light, but all of us thank Yuske Urameshi and Kurama."

A new name presented to her, Scarlet uncrossed her arms and tilted her head. "Who is Yuske? Is he a new demon friend of yours?"

"More or less," Jin answered vaguely. "He was once a human in Japan, but died in battle only to awaken as a demonic being with a pure heart. Needless to say, his attitude was quite alluring. Hardly any in Hell are not affected by it." Jin headed over towards the back where benches were lined with a few clean towels. He picked one up to work on drying himself off. Scarlet followed behind him a respectable distance still curious about the baptism that was to lie ahead.

"So what is going to happen at this baptism?" Scarlet inquired, folding her hands before her.

Jin wrapped the towel about his waist to spare Scarlet from having to see him naked any longer. "Well, I am going to have to dress up in my baptism garb, and you will be…" Jin paused for a moment before continuing, "…naked in front of those attending." When the young worshipper said nothing, he went on. "Anyways, we will be in the center of the pool, and I will say something in demon, and I will use a jagged dagger to mark your chest."

Scarlet blinked several times before leaning in slightly as if wanting to hear that again. "E-Excuse me? You are going to use a dagger to pierce my skin?"

Jin nodded as if it were nothing to him. "You have a slight scar on your chest, don't you?" When Scarlet didn't answer, he pulled up her shirt to look himself even if it startled the young woman. "You see there?" He asked, pointing at an odd, small shaped scar on her chest. "That was when you were a baby and Touya baptized you."

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Scarlet grumbled as she pushed her shirt back down from where Jin had it crumpled about her neck. "So, you speak 'demon'? I didn't know that was a language."

The wind demon picked up a bottle of water that was upon the bench he was still in front of to take a sip from it, nodding at Scarlet's remark. "It's a language spoken by both demons and angels or any celestial being. It's mostly telepathically received by humans." Checking the time at the moment, Jin hummed in thought. "Alright, I am sure Razz sent you here to get cleaned up for studies. I will leave now so you can do so. Tomorrow at midnight, I will perform the baptism ceremony. Be ready for that."

"Thank you," Scarlet slightly grumbled as she watched every step the demon took towards the door.

"Take care, kiddo," Jin said with a simple wave of his hand as if to bid her farewell for now before departing from the Cleansing Room.

All alone finally within the room, Scarlet sighed out her frustrations and nervousness with the bare demon finally gone. Pulling her shirt up over her head, she tossed it upon the bench closest to her before unfastening her bra next. _Who knew a demon such as him was so thin yet so muscular all the same_, Scarlet thought to herself as she soon stood there free of her clothing. _It made my body heat up…but not from embarrassment_. Stepping slowly into the pool, Scarlet made it into the clear water, which was cool to the touch of her skin. The image of the naked wind master kept floating back into her mind, making her body tremble almost in excitement, though she didn't want to admit it.

"Damn image, get out of my head!" She swore to herself as she knocked her forehead gently with her palm. "I better stop fooling around or Razz is going to kill me for being late."

The redheaded fox demon stood upon the mountains overlooking the town below them. His heart was heavy with sorrow, but he dared not say anything about it as he kept his hands within the pockets of his pants. The smell of death caught his attention, prompting him to turn around to see Shishi standing there with his hand upon his samurai sword. He was the first to beckon to the fox demon's call.

"You wanted to see me?" Shishi said seriously.

"How many souls have you undertaken to Hell?" Kurama came right out to ask, turning his body to face the demon of death.

Shishi sighed, closing his eyes momentarily before reopening them. "Thirty alone within the last half hour—all together, nearly a hundred. What about yourself?"

"I've had to help 145 of my worshippers and the toll keeps rising," Kurama sighed.

The wind rustling about them rather wildly, the wind demon soon landed behind the conversing duo with Touya beside him. Eventually Hiei appeared himself upon one of the rock formations not too far from the group with Suzuka, Chuu, and Rinku following behind. "What is going on?" Suzuka asked curiously.

"We have a problem," Hiei mumbled from where he was sitting. "The humans are killing each other within the town."

"It's mostly my fault," Touya said in attempts to accept the blame. "Because of my ice shards having to keep the incoming demons at bay within the freezing atmosphere, they think I am angry and punishing them and are selfishly killing anybody under my name. If this keeps up, all my people are going to die!"

"Why not just let down the border and let the demons out?" Hiei suggested rather irritably. "The humans can afford to pay for their sins."

"Hiei," Kurama sighed as he shook his head at the fire demon.

"Do not sit there and pretend you do not care for those who come under your name," Touya felt need to defend.

Jin narrowed his eyes slightly at the fire demon as if to study him before smiling with a throaty chortle. "He has one worshipper he bears in mind and worries for—isn't her name, Chris?"

"Hn!" Hiei grunted as he turned to look away from the ice demon.

"Enough already!" Kurama demanded sternly between the bickering demons. "Look, we have to do something soon, or this entire town is going to head under!"

"What do you lads plan on doing then?" Chuu inquired, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"Yeah, didn't you guys ask for some of your humans to speak on your behalf?" Rinku wondered from where he was sitting upon Chuu's shoulder.

"They did, but they all got executed under the crazy humans that believe the beings they worship are Gods," Suzuka clarified, recalling the event all too vividly. "So what do you plan on doing about this senseless massacre?"

Kurama sighed softly to himself as he turned towards the village, hidden within the darkness and the thick fog. "We have no choice but to punish those who seek to redeem themselves by killing others. Anytime somebody spills pure blood of another human, kill them…" Kurama heard them gasp, but he wasn't sure what else to say or do about the situation. "This is the only way to save the innocents of others and the numbers of those who worship us. I am sorry—but what else can we do?"

The demons were at a loss for words as they nodded in agreement. Feeling that the meeting was over, Jin turned on his heels and headed back down the rocky path, which would lead towards the town below. His ice demon partner couldn't help but follow quickly behind the wind demon. "So," Touya began as he watched his step, "how are things going at your temple?"

Jin hummed in thought before shrugged slightly. "Everything has so far been okay. I've been trying to keep my worshippers from attacking one another so there haven't been many deaths. Have you heard from Scarlet lately?"

"Not a word for awhile now," Touya admitted as he gazed straight ahead at nothing unparticular. "Is she doing alright? She doesn't continue to cut, does she?"

"No, she has been alright," Jin answered as they turned down the winding road. "I am thinking of baptizing her under my name tomorrow at midnight. Do you want to join the ceremony or help or something?"

Touya shrugged as he hopped over a rock foundation to make it ahead of the wind master. "We'll see. Normally I am never bothered during that hour unless something urgent comes up with one of my worshippers. With all that has been going on, I have to be careful."

"I guess I'll leave you open to attending then," Jin said as he gathered up the wind about him. "I've got to get back to the temple. The last thing I want is a mindless slaughter fest happening within my own walls."

The ice demon merely nodded as he brought his hand up to block the wind currents that Jin unleashed as he headed quickly back towards the Wind Temple. Pulling some of his lose hair behind his ear, Touya sighed as he looked off to the side, picking up on a few disturbances from his followers. His eyes widened at one of the mental messages from his worshippers. "Good Gods—!" Using his demonic speed, he hurried towards his temple as quickly as possible.

Scarlet dropped the books one by one on the other side of her bed once she read the titles, sighing whilst running her fingers through her hair. "This is a lot of literature to read with each being nearly six hundred pages long…"

"I say start with In the Darkness," Razz instructed simply as she stood by the door. "It will give you a better understanding of the demon Lord." Hearing a sudden commotion going on outside of Scarlet's doors, Razz pulled her attention from the young woman to the hallway upon opening the door to peek outside. She recognized the screams and yelling, causing her to inhale sharply in worry. "Just—stay here and read. I will be right back." With that said, Razz ran down the hallway as quickly as she could.

Scarlet was curious as to what was going on as she got to her feet slowly to make it to her opened door. Looking down both ways of the corridor her room rested within, she followed quickly yet quietly behind Razz to see what was going on. She followed Razz all the way to the main room though Scarlet remained hidden within the large, marble archway.

A group of holy worshippers had surrounded one of the priestesses in the center as they had her by the hair and by the wrists, kicking and beating her. "We heard you! We heard you!" They yelled angrily at her. "You are nothing but a demon worshipper! You discriminate our God!"

The priestess was too scared to say anything as she flinched at their angry words—one of them pulling a dagger upon her, making her eyes widen in fear. "Please, don't do this!" She finally begged, closing her eyes tightly, tears creeping forth.

"**STOP**!" Razz demanded as she pushed the priestess holding the dagger away from the one they had rallied against. "This madness must cease!"

"She is a demon worshipper!" The crazed priestess growled as she got back to her feet with the dagger in her hand. "She is defacing our God under such a title!"

"Regardless, you are angering him by killing those who view him as a demon!" Razz explained angrily with her hands clutched into fists.

"We are not angering him!" One of the priests grumbled. "We are saving his name!"

"If you are for this demon title, you too will be killed Razz in his honor!" One of the priestess in the group threatened.

The demented worshippers turning on Razz next, the doors blew open and the candles blew out quickly. The wind was angered at the feel as everybody brought their arms up to block the leaves coming in from the outside at such a hurried pace. Razz and everybody else looked at the doors, only the demon worshippers able to see it was Jin the Wind Master.

Scarlet watched from the sidelines as the wind demon walked an eerily slow saunter down the path before him. Without the candlelight, the area was dark, making it difficult for anything to be seen except for the glowing anger, evident within the demon's eyes.

"Christine," Jin said simply, outstretching his hand to her a few feet away from where she was kneeling on the floor with cuts and bruises on her body.

The priestess was quick to get to her feet and hurry over towards the demon master of wind with tears cascading down her face. Opening her arms quickly, she embraced Jin tightly while crying in his chest—relieved that he came in time to save her.

Jin embraced the scared woman in return, eyeing the others responsible for her fear with anger. He knew they couldn't see him, but he knew a way to make them see. "Razz, bring them over here."

"My Lord, they will not listen to me!" Razz explained openly from behind the worshipers.

Jin growled slightly at her answer though he knew it was true. "Then take Christine to the medical room, and I will deal with these three." Looking down at the frightened Christine, he rubbed her back gently before pushing back so Razz could take her once the high priestess made it past the small mob of light blinded worshippers. The two of them hurried through the opposite archway Scarlet was hiding within, leaving Jin alone with the troubled priestesses and priest.

When the three were about to leave, Jin was quick to raise his hand to blow them back down where they were originally. Their backs hitting the marble statue behind them of the wind demon, he hurried over towards them to place his palm upon the foreheads of two of the three. "It **BURNS**! **IT HURTS**!" They screamed loudly, trying to fight the unseen force.

Scarlet watched as the two priestesses screamed in pain as their mind was forced open to the unseen.

With all three soon opened to the damned world around them, Jin stood there before them with his eyes almost appearing to glow white with energies fueled by anger. "Look before your 'God'," Jin began angrily as he watched the three of them cower. "Get up!" He demanded, grabbing the priest by the collar of his robe to force him to stand.

"He's a demon…!" The priest exclaimed through his clutched teeth, shivering from fright.

"All of us are!" Jin explained, letting the priest go. "And we've had it with your damn human sacrifices! This is stopping here!" He grabbed onto the priestess with the dagger next about the neck. His fingers digging into her neck caused her skin to break and bleed before he sunk his teeth into her shoulder.

The priestess could only scream before unable to find the breath to do so once her neck broke under the force of the wind demon.

Jin dropped her body to the floor, causing to hit the ground in a sickening fashion—like a ragdoll dropped from the hands of a five year old.

The other two gasped in fright, the priestess placing her hands upon her face before screaming loudly at the sight before her. With the demon coming towards the other female with blood marring his mouth and fingers, the young priestess got on her knees with her hands together in a pleading fashion. "Please! Please, don't kill me!" She begged. "I am sorry!"

"Spread the word to your light blinded fellow worshippers that I won't accept murder from my own humans!" Jin preached as he pointed to the woman. "If any so much as raise a fist to another, I will kill them. Now **GO**!"

With that said, the priest and priestess spared hurried back to their living quarters not wanting to look back. The two of them hurried past Scarlet, not caring to say or do anything to her leaving the bi-color haired girl to gaze on from where she continued to hide from the wind demon.

Bending down, Jin picked up the corpse like it was nothing at all. He looked at her weak body that was now void of a soul. Knowing that nobody was around at the time, or so he thought, Jin bent her neck further to the right to sink his teeth back into her flesh to tear it like it was a piece of meat.

Scarlet gasped behind her hands, which she brought up to her mouth shortly before. _Oh my God!_ She screamed mentally.

The mental scream catching Jin's attention, he wiggled his ears slightly before catching Scarlet there in the archway. He could see the horror in the young woman's eyes, his heart dropping at the sight. "Scarlet—let me explain!"

Backing up slowly, Scarlet's stomach began to churn causing her to turn around to throw up from the sight she had just witnessed. Her hand against her stomach, she coughed harshly at the acidic liquid hurting her throat. The wind master's hands coming from behind her, he grabbed onto her gently to try and stop her from running off. "Get off of me!" Scarlet demanded, fighting against him.

"Scarlet, I am sorry you had to see that!" Jin whispered in her ear as he kept her within the tight embrace from behind. "But I eat the beings that die at my hands! I sometimes eat humans," he went on to explain.

Scarlet started crying. "Why are you watching over people you can consider pray?" She asked through her tears.

"Because I can control myself," Jin expressed softly, trying to keep her under control. "Unlike humans, I can control my urges." The wind demon continued, stroking her head gently to try and get her settled. "Shhh, I am sorry. It's okay. It's okay."

The fragile woman, held onto Jin's muscular, left arm, which was about her front to keep her from moving. Sniffling back her tears, she rested her cheek against his chest. "Why am I here…?" She asked somberly. "Why did I open myself back up to this world?"

Jin sighed softly through his nostrils. "Some things are just going to take some getting used to, Scarlet. That is all."


	19. Chapter 19

_**Author's Notes**_: I might put this on slight hold until I finish my other story, Before I Die. I know I can wrap it up if I am given enough time to do so. Catch you guys later!

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Jin escorted Scarlet back to her bedroom, regardless of the young woman feeling nervous and shaking violently in fear next to the demon she used to tease and find merely as a nuisance. The wind demon could sense her fears and smell them all the same, but he said not a word to her knowing that it would take awhile for her anxiousness over the situation to settle.

Razz soon appeared from the hallway from Scarlet's bedroom. She saw something was wrong but could only wonder what as she jogged down towards the two. "Is everything okay?" Razz wondered, helping Scarlet from Jin's arms.

The wind demon shook his head slightly. "Do not worry about it, Rachel." He saw the young priestess pause slightly at calling her by her first real name. She knew that whenever he called her that, that there was a problem. "Just make sure you get Scarlet ready for tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?" Razz questioned as she gently nudged Scarlet towards the young woman's bedroom. "What is going on tomorrow night with her?"

"I am going to baptize her," Jin announced, scratching the back of his head with a slight sigh. "Starting now, have her drink only water to purify her body." He nodded over at the door leading to Scarlet's room. "Go help her spirit prepare. Touya will hopefully be attending tomorrow, so I will have some help. With all that is going on, I cannot have her unprepared." Jin turned on his heels and headed down the hallway once more, a destination in mind. "Hell has broken lose. I cannot have my worshippers walking about as targets to these damned souls."

Scarlet listened to Jin's words from where she was currently sitting upon her bed. Closing her eyes tightly, she fought back her fear and the images causing it. She embraced herself, lying down upon her bed. _Mother…please help me…_

The wind about the town began to rustle aggressively as Jin flew above the damned village towards Lavender Lane. The old home, worn in appearance soon came into view for the demon, he perching there upon the windowsill. He gripped onto the window to try and push it up out of his way. With the window soon up, Jin stepped inside to feel a slight sting against his skin as he made his way back into Scarlet's old bedroom.

"Hmm?" Jin hummed in thought as he looked at his right arm where most of the pain was coming from. He saw a crucifix situated next to the window. The item was giving off weak religious vibrations, paining the demon only slightly. "Humph, guess that bastard wanted to try and keep me away, eh?" Jin ripped the cross from where it was hanging to toss out the window regardless of the holy item burning his skin slightly once he touched it. "He needs to try harder."

Ignoring the many holy items now within the home, Jin made his way out into the hallway and towards the abandoned bedroom belonging to the former Mrs. Baker. The room was the same as it had always been. The old bed was covered in a bit of dust still, making the white and flower embroider bedcovers still appear the shade of brown. Jin stood there near the doorway to look at the bedroom, closing his eyes for a moment to try and contact the spirits within the house.

When all they did was playfully chuckle and tease Jin about the events leading up to Scarlet's departure, he reopened his eyes to look over at the nightstand to see the statue of Touya in his 'God' form. He headed over to the nightstand to pick up the statue before sitting upon the bedside, causing dust to scatter. His elfin ear catching one of the spirits whispering within it, he wiggled it slightly before turning to look over his right shoulder a bit. "Do you know her? Do you know Scarlet's mother?"

The spirits began to whisper and giggle about the room, prompting Jin to attempt to concentrate.

"Cynthia Baker, yes, that is her," Jin said, keeping his eyes closed. "Where is she?"

Once again many whispers filled the room as they spoke quickly to the wind demon there before them.

"Yes, yes, where? Does Touya know?" Jin pried, his fingers digging into his thighs. "Yes? Do you know where she is?" He was silent once more, tilting his head a bit to the side. "Where?" His head started to pain him a bit from trying to listen to the spirits for so long. Jin began to message his head a bit. "At the Ice Temple? Thank you."

Getting steadily to his feet, he regained his energy before placing the statue back where he found it. Jin pushed the door open slowly, shutting it behind him once he made it out into the hallway. He hurried towards the window where he took flight to head for Touya's Ice Temple.

Touya was resting upon the 'throne' given to him by his worshippers in the main room. He had his cheek resting against his knuckles as he sat there in thought within the blue candlelight. Upon hearing the front doors open, the ice demon opened his eyes to gaze up through the moonlight pouring into his temple. He pulled his cheek from his relaxed hand, reading the energy level of the person at the door. "Jin, is that you?"

Jin made his way into the chilly temple, finding the reason soon enough why the temperature was so low—some of his worshippers were frozen into statues. "I see you decided to handle some of your rowdy worshippers. Very interesting."

The ice demon situated himself upon the chair with a grunt. "It was the only way to keep peace in my temple. What do you want, Jin?"

"I came to ask the whereabouts of Scarlet's mother," Jin said coming right to the point once he stood before his partner. "Those at her house said she would be here under your care."

"Where else would she be?" Touya asked in a 'duh' tone. The demon got up from his chair to stand before Jin with his hands buried in his pockets. "Did you expect Cynthia to be trailing around Scarlet?" He beckoned Jin to follow him as he headed for the door on the left. Touya pushed away the curtains flowing before the archway to make it into the hallway. "She stopped doing so when her daughter continued to fall down hill. It made her afterlife rather difficult instead of being peaceful."

Jin followed behind his friend from the shinobi sect. "Hmm, I guess I can understand that one. She did appear quite hateful when I encountered her first. She has been acting better, and I am sure she could use her mother's help and guidance in a few things."

"Do you think that wise?" Touya wondered as he gazed over his shoulder for a second, turning the corner at the end of the current hallway they were within to travel down another. "She could become less interested in her studies in this case and fall out of our grasp."

Jin sighed, nodding in agreement. "I know that it is a possibility, but she saw me last night….eating one of my fallen worshippers, and Scarlet got upset and just wanted to quit as is. I am hoping that maybe her mother can keep her going from experiencing the afterlife and benefits of staying within the religious grounds."

"Hmm, guess temptation got the better of you, eh?" Touya seemed to scold within his tone as he made it this double door made of soft blue marble with shards of ice hanging from the arched doorway. "This was her room when she gave birth and where she stayed when her husband was killed. Ever since she passed away she stayed here." Touya's fingers worked away at the locks on the door, making the chains rattle as they hit the floor.

The wind demon cocked his brow in confusion at the locks. "Why do you have it locked? Is she dangerous?"

Touya shook his head, his bangs wavering a bit as well as some strands falling out of place. "Whenever I get new worshippers, some feel pulled to this room because of her presence, but I know she would rather have a place for privacy than have a couple of bunk buddies with her." He pushed the doors open slowly. "So it is always better to lock it off and tell them that it is not safe and the presence they feel will visit them on her own time." Standing aside, he outstretched his arm to show he was allowing Jin inside. "Go ahead. She won't mind."

Jin stepped through the archway to make it into the bedroom before him. It was circular in size and had this amazing in appearance candle holder in the center of the room. It was made of finely polished glass and looked like an explosion of water causing many areas for candles to rest upon the dispersed waves, which seemed to rise upwards. Candles were still in place, but appeared brand new except for the one at the very center. It was very fat in size and was the mixed color of white and blue. It had a piece of the quilt Cynthia made for Scarlet near it. The wind demon noticed the fabric and was curious about it as he studied it quite hard by just leaning over it slightly.

Touya's footsteps could be heard behind the wind beast as he made it over to where Jin stood. "Ah, that ritual she would have me perform to protect her daughter from dying so young. I didn't have anything else of Scarlet's so this was all I could use. Now that she has the quilt, I am sure I can make the spell a bit stronger."

"When she was here you could have just took a lock of her hair," Jin pointed out. "I always do that to my worshippers when I baptize them."

"It would seem rather weird for her, don't you think—me stealing a piece of her hair when we first met?" Touya chuckled lightly as he stuck his hands into his pockets. "I will get it at my own time."

The wind and energy about the room began to change suddenly. The abrasive wind currents brushed against the doors, causing them to shut and for the light within the darkened room to go out for a moment. The two demons didn't budge as they didn't fear it. It wasn't an angry energy or did it appear threatening to them. Suddenly light began to come back into the room as the candles upon the center candleholder began to steadily relight by themselves one by one.

"Hmm, guess she knows we're here," Touya said simply as he pocketed his hands. He watched as all of them were lit but the center one used for the protection ritual upon Scarlet. The flame dancing upon the two demon's features, Touya gazed up at the ceiling where he could feel her spirit emanating the most power. "Cynthia, Jin is here to see you about your daughter."

"Where is she?" Jin asked, looking about the room confused.

Touya placed his finger upon his lips for a moment to shush the wind demon before pointing up above the candleholder. "She is trying to materialize right there." He turned his attention back to Cynthia and her uneasy energy level. "Do you need help?" Touya asked the spirit. "Sometimes she has difficulty taking on her human spirit form. Give me a moment." The ice demon outstretched his arm upwards as if to praise the sky, lowering his head with his eyes closed. He began to mumble something incoherently under his breath in attempts to give Cynthia the power she needed to materialize.

The spirit taking in the energy the demon was giving her, Cynthia managed to steadily come into solid form before descending to the ground. She looked through her stringy blond hair at the two demons, only recognizing one of them. _**"Who is he?"**_ Cynthia asked.

The ice master looked over at Jin for a moment before turning back to face Cynthia. "This is Jin the wind master. Your daughter baptized herself under him when she was resistant to call upon me for answers of your death."

Cynthia placed her full attention on the wind demon. She tilted her head slightly to gaze up at him through her weary eyes. Her spirit had become so restless over her daughter's actions that she looked as though she hadn't gotten a good night's rest in days. Her stature showed she was hesitant. A part of Cynthia didn't want to know what was doing on with Scarlet in fear of never being able to rest in peace even within the depths of hell.

"I've come to talk to you about your daughter," Jin came right out to say, not being the subtle type.

The shock of his words made Cynthia drift back slightly within her vaporous form. From how she looked left and then right, she seemed like a cornered animal, unable to escape her terminative captor.

Touya saw it in the way she moved, making him grab onto Jin's arm to have the beast settle. "You have to be cautious with her," he whispered to the wind demon. "Scarlet is a very sensitive topic for Cynthia. If you say the wrong thing, you may make her situation worse." He pulled his hand from where it had resided temporarily. "Think before you speak for once in your life, Jin. That is all I ask." Touya nodded as he gazed between the two with his piercing blue eyes. "I will leave you two alone for now."

The spirit watched closely as Touya took his leave of the room. She sighed whilst embracing herself before turning back towards Jin. _**"What is it about my daughter you wish to say?"**_

Jin hummed in thought wondering what he should say first. "Well, your daughter baptized herself under me because of her want for answers in your death, but once she did so, she opened herself up completely to the hellish foundation Wind Knoll is built upon." He blew his bangs out of his face before continuing. "She has been relocated to my temple to learn and to get better when it comes to her emotional problems. I plan on baptizing her tomorrow night when I can."

"_**Has she stopped cutting and started eating again?"**_ Cynthia asked curiously.

"She has stopped cutting to my knowledge," said Jin as he looked off to the side wondering if he should tell her about the times Scarlet nearly successfully killed herself. He looked up at Cynthia once he lowered his head slightly as if begging her not to get upset over what he may say next. "However, before that, when she found out the truth about everything from a dying worshipper of mine, Scarlet nearly overdosed herself to death." He saw Cynthia nearly panic causing Jin to raise his hands quickly. "She is fine; she is fine! I made sure I got to her in time."

Cynthia tried to regain her composure. _**"How is she taking it all now? Is she still okay with everything?"**_

The wind demon sighed, scratching the side of his head. "She is taking it one step at a time. That is why I need you there to help her through this," Jin practically pleaded. "Scarlet is struggling right now. She talks about you all the time and thinks about you whenever she takes a step forward. Will you not help me with her so she won't fall under?"

The wind demon's expression appeared painful as he thought about losing one of his children due to mental illness being the main cause. It was something he felt he could control, but not without help. Cynthia hummed in thought gazing in opposite directions once more before eyeing Jin again. _**"I cannot,"**_ Cynthia said simply, turning her back to Jin as if to hide her emotions.

"Wh-Why!" Jin exclaimed in wonder. "She is your daughter, isn't she!"

"_**Of course she is!"**_ Cynthia was quick to say though continuing to hide her face from Jin. _**"But the reason I cannot see her is because I love her too much…and she is the same about me."**_ Finally finding the courage to do so, regardless of the tears she was shedding, Cynthia turned back around to face Jin. _**"If I were to appear to her, Scarlet would be solely fixated upon me. She wouldn't want to listen, and she wouldn't want to learn anymore. She would be content to just lie there in that room you give her to speak to me and only me."**_ She brought her hand up to where her heart used to beat so vibrantly upon her chest looking off to the side as her eyes trembled with tears. _**"I love her with all my soul, but I cannot come to her every waking moment. I do not have the energy anymore…"**_

Jin was silent as he continued to gaze over at Cynthia, showing pity within his expression.

"_**I want her to grow and learn under you or Touya. I don't care which as you both appear to be the right path for her,"**_ Cynthia continued. _**"Maybe…maybe once she's reached her growing potential, then I will come and see her. But I cannot. For many reasons, I cannot, but this is only one of the main ones."**_

"Other reasons?" Jin wondered softly to himself as he pulled his head back as if shocked by her continued response. "What other reasons would you have not to see her now?"

"_**I cannot answer that. Please do not make me answer that,"**_ Cynthia seemed to beg in horror at the very thought of being forced to do so by a high class demon. When Jin didn't interrogate her further on the subject, she was relieved. _**"My soul is weakening in this form. I have to go back soon."**_

"Then I won't keep you," said Jin with a bow to her. "Thank you for your time."

The spirit watched as Jin headed for the door. _**"Before you go, I have something for you to give to Scarlet when you see her again."**_

Jin stopped at the doorway, looking over at the spirit of Cynthia. "What is it?"

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The coming morning hours, Scarlet was asleep within her bedroom, too tired to care to read the material she was given. Razz had instructed her not to eat within the coming hours until the baptism. She had bottled water next to her bed in case her stomach started to bother her. During her slumber, Scarlet began to moan and shake under her covers. Her spirit had wandered once more out into the hell town causing more of the growls and hisses from the damned to plague her mind.

Her bare feet touching the cold, cracked pavement of Wind Knoll causing chills ran up her spine. She embraced herself while her teeth chattered as Scarlet slowly advanced within the thick fog. Every part of her body was racked with fear. The fog was so thick she couldn't make out what was before her. _**"I am back here again,"**_ Scarlet murmured to herself knowing exactly where she was. _**"I need to wake up…!"**_

The disturbing sounds continuing to edge on her fears caused Scarlet to buckle where she stood. Leaning over, she covered her ears and began to breathe heavily as her heart quickened in speed. As she remained there, kneeling upon the pavement, she heard something calling out to her. Scarlet slowly pulled her hands away from her ears to listen to the distant voice she thought she recognized. _**"Who-who is there?"**_ Scarlet asked remaining there within the middle of the town's decrepit road.

"_**Scarlet,"**_ the voice beckoned once more, laughter seeming to bounce behind it wickedly. _**"Scarlet, it's me."**_

She recalled the voice of being Jin's as she steadily got to her feet. _**"J-Jin…? Jin is that you?"**_ Scarlet wondered as she started to head towards the fog.

"_**This way,"**_ the voice appearing to belong to Jin beckoned. _**"You'll be safe here…"**_

The wicked clicking and growling from the dark alleyways, blanketed in fog caused Scarlet to hurry towards the voice calling to her. The eerie laughter and the squealing of what sounded like a wild pig could be heard almost closer than before, making Scarlet break down into tears as she ran blindly through the fog. _**"Jin, where are you! Jin!"**_ She screamed, feeling something come up to tear down her right arm suddenly. The pain shooting through her body, Scarlet closed her eyes tightly in agony as she grabbed onto her right arm, screaming in pain.

Falling to the ground, Scarlet looked at her right arm to see it had three long scratch marks upon it both of which started bleeding heavily. Her hand tried to conceal the painful wound, but it did little good. The chilly air within the spirit realm was causing it to sting, and the blood continued to pour through her fingers. She could hear the creature responsible growling and squealing within the fog. In minute it felt as though it would come back out to attack once more until it had destroyed her spirit. Scarlet quickly got back to her feet and ran in the direction she thought she heard Jin's voice.

"_**Jin! Jin!"**_ She screamed over and over again in tears. _**"Where are you!"**_

Eventually the fog began to part to reveal her old house on Lavender Lane. There within the center of the driveway stood a towering figure with wild hair. It was black at first until finally coming into view. It was Jin sure enough but something appeared different from before as Scarlet approached him. He was grinning, almost wickedly as the demon outstretched his hand to the injured woman. _**"There you are,"**_ Jin muttered. _**"Come here."**_ He moved his open fingers back into his palm to beckon her forwards.

Scarlet hesitantly made her way towards the wind demon, still holding onto her bleeding arm. _**"I-I am injured,"**_ she managed to say over the monsters growling in the background.

"_**Let me see."**_ The wind demon removed Scarlet's hand from her bleeding arm. He rolled his fingers over the wound, making Scarlet flinch in pain as he touched it carelessly. Jin removed his hand eventually with her blood upon his fingertips. Touching it to his mouth, he seemed to hum in delight. _**"You'll be just fine."**_ Here Jin pulled Scarlet closer to him, having their bodies touching one another. _**"You are still pure,"**_ he whispered upon her face when he leaned over. _**"Let me fix that for you."**_

Scarlet could see he was coming closer to her face, making her pull back hesitantly. _**"J-Jin, what are—!" **_Before she could bother to ask, the demon placed his mouth upon hers, almost forcibly. She struggled against him at first until she felt his grip upon her tighten. Her body going stiff from fear at what the demon was trying to do with her, and her eyes closing whilst she screamed against his kiss she found to be un-pleasurable as his breath smelt of death. _**Let me go! Somebody help me!**_ Scarlet pleaded within her own mind.

Pulling from the kiss, Jin rolled his hand down her clothes to use just his nails to claw off her pajama pants. When Scarlet threatened to run, Jin grabbed back onto her arms once more. _**"Don't run. You'll regret it if you do,"**_ he threatened.

Her breaths began to quicken as Scarlet shook her head at the wind demon's actions. _**"D-Don't! Please don't!"**_ She pleaded, squeezing her legs together. As she fought with the demon when it came to her virginity, the same voice soon came from the left.

"_**Scarlet?"**_

Scarlet looked over her left to see another Jin the wind master. _**"J-Jin…! But—!"**_ Once she looked back at the demon, who had her, Scarlet screamed to see that the beast's appearance had changed. He had a rotted complexion and had the face of an undead werewolf. His eyes were only black slits and his ratted hair rolled down the sides of his face as well as down his back to the point it connected to his back fur.

"_**A shape-shifter!" **_Jin panicked as he hurried over to Scarlet to pull her away from the beast's grasp. _**"Go back to whatever hellhole you crawled out of, demon!"**_ When the demon refused and raised his claws to attack the intruding wind demon, Jin raised up his left arm in time to block the attack before coming from below with his right fist to uppercut the stomach of the beast with the strength required to punch a hole right through his body.

The blood of the demon splattering against Scarlet's house and raining down upon the bushes, the body of the beast fell emotionless upon the cement of the cracked driveway.

Having to see that beast lying there in his true form, Scarlet covered her mouth, whimpering and crying against her palms. The thing tried to rape her in the disguise of Jin. That was an awful thing for him to do to her! _**"What was that thing!"**_ Scarlet wanted to know during her stage of hysteria.

"_**It is a shape-shifter,"**_ Jin sighed as he made his way over to the traumatized Scarlet Baker. _**"They dig into your subconscious records of your mind and take on the opposite sex of the person you feel the safest around and or have deep feelings for." **_His arms embraced Scarlet to let her know it was going to be okay. _**"You need to be careful when your soul travels. They can take on any appearance of anybody in your life."**_ Jin looked over at the dead demon not too far from them. _**"These types of demons are known as Virgin Hunters. They will do whatever they can to steal your purity as it entices them."**_

In Jin's embrace, she covered her eyes wishing to hide her tears. _**"I cannot believe this is happening to me now…I don't know what's worse, being here or being at home with my dad."**_

Jin said nothing to that as he looked about the spiritual plain she had managed to wander back within. _**"Come, Scarlet. Let's get you to wake up."**_ Keeping a hold of the frightened woman, Jin made his way towards the door he had entered through.

The warm light embracing her, Scarlet felt her soul return to her body as she began to move her fingers from where they were lying upon the bed. However from what she could feel, her other hand was being held by somebody else. Once she opened her gray-green eyes, Scarlet looked over her right to find Jin kneeling there with his hand about hers. His head was resting near her body peacefully. "Jin?" She whispered, gently placing her hand upon his red hair to move it out of his face.

Jin remained asleep for awhile until finally opening his eyes, gazing ahead wearily. "Scarlet?" He wondered with a yawn, rubbing his eyes once he released her hand.

"Ah, so you are finally awake," Touya said from across the room. He slowly advanced towards her and Jin. "We thought you were just sleeping, not spirit traveling until we saw those scratches appear upon your arm."

Scarlet looked at her arm to find the wound there upon her body. She panicked at the sight, seeing that it was still bleeding a bit. "How did that happen? I was asleep and my spirit was attacked, not my physical form!"

"Your spirit is a major component of your physical body," Touya explained. "The two are linked, and regardless of which is hurt, the other will suffer. So if you were to die while your spirit wandered, you wouldn't be able to return to your body; leaving you for dead."

Jin continued to rub his eyes for a bit more to get back to himself. "The problem is she cannot control her spirit travels. Also, that was a shape-shifter that attacked her." Sitting upon the side of the bed, Jin grabbed gently onto Scarlet's injured arm to see the wound upon it. "It was also another of those Virgin Hunters." He leaned over the side of the bed to grab the cleaned cloth Touya brought him for the sake of bandaging up Scarlet.

"Virgin Hunter? Are you sure that is what it was!" Touya exclaimed nervously from where he was standing.

"Aye, it was a Virgin Hunter," Jin sighed as he dabbed away at Scarlet's nearly nine inch scratches parallel to one another. "He was shape-shifted into me and was trying to rape her."

"A shape-shifting hunter," Touya thought, resting his chin against his fingers. "Those are dangerous. You can never tell who it really is until it's too late!"

"What am I going to do then?" Scarlet wondered, hissing in pain as her injury was being treated. "If I go to sleep ever again, I might end up encountering another one! I don't want them to get me again." At that moment, she began to tremble in fear at the thought of one getting to her. "I can't go back to sleep again…!"

Jin pulled out the bandages next to the bowl of warm water before using his teeth to rip the ones he needed for her cuts. He applied the medicine to the wraps, looking briefly over at Scarlet as he heard her fear as well as smell it accumulating in the room. "Well, Scarlet, this is one way to avoid that. However, keep in mind, some demons would still come at you out of spite." When he saw she was slightly interested, he continued while bandaging her arm. "There is a ritual rarely done at the hands of demons, but it was obsessively used in the past selfishly when Wind Knoll was first created on the foundation of hell. While it has many names, the main title is Envelope Purity in Darkness. It's used to take the virginity away from humans. Normally the demons would do it for their worshippers with one on one sexual contact," Jin hesitantly explained once he finished wrapping Scarlet's arm. "However, it's recently been rearranged to allow the male or female to pick his or her partner."

"So you want me to have my virginity taken away by some guy I don't know?" Scarlet couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted at the thought.

"It's by whoever you feel most comfortable with," Touya announced. "If you cannot find somebody, then your demonic 'fathers' will be the one to do it—**IF** you agree to do it, that is."

Scarlet merely fiddled with her fingers wondering what to say to that. It was either to endure an awkward sexual experience with the demons she was baptized under or do allow the Virgin Hunters to continue to come after her. "So if I wanted you to help me through it," Scarlet began, looking at Jin, "would you go ahead and do so?"

"If you wanted me to, yes," the wind demon answered. "And if I were to accept, we'd be breaking each other's virginity." Jin couldn't help but chuckle slightly with a sidewise smile.

"I am guessing you've never done this before," Scarlet said nervously.

"Spiritually I have, but not physically," Jin clarified. "So don't worry, I have done this enough times and know enough not to hurt you."

Scarlet gazed down at her hands resting within her lap. She sighed softly not sure what to do. "I will keep it in mind. I don't know what I want right now after such an attack. Right now my fear is riding me through it, and I don't want to listen to it."

Jin looked over his shoulder and nodded at Touya, signaling for him to leave for the time being. The ice demon listened to his partner, disappearing out the door to leave the two alone. With Touya gone, Jin turned back to Scarlet with a soft smile. "I have something to give you from your mother, Cynthia."

Hearing of her mother's name, Scarlet perked up slightly. "M-My mother? What does she want you to give me?"


	20. Chapter 20

_**Author's Notes**_: Sorry for the hiatus on stories of any kind lately. I got re-addicted to World of Warcraft (crack), and it is full of my SC's horde hunter being an officer in a guild that he helped bring together with mostly the GM's help.

So most of my time is being taken up with that hunter though I need to take a break from him right now. XX;

Also work sucks (lol). I am still looking for something better. I hope to find it soon even if I have to go back to college to do so.

--

Scarlet waited for Jin to relay the message to her from her deceased mother. Jin had his eyes closed for a moment before reopening them slowly, keeping the gentle smile upon his face. He opened his hand to show nothing within it until the spiritual winds about the room gathered into his palm to show a rather fancy flute. It looked as though it had been carved from a tree branch as the wood parted and curled perfectly about the slender instrument, holding white balls of energy in the center of the circular parts of the flute and the areas that curled away from it.

The flute meant nothing to Scarlet whatsoever. She was confused now as to what the demon had in store for her as he clutched the wooden flute in his hands, bringing it to his lips.

As soon as Jin started to play the flute, a strange, calming mist seeped through from the flute to dance about the room. The mist seemed to come alive for Scarlet as she backed up against the wall, bringing her knees to her chest. The melody itself was as haunting as the fog, which soon started to take shape of images belonging to Scarlet's past. It was then she relaxed herself, watching as the mist formed perfectly into that of her when she was a little girl being tucked in by her mother.

Scarlet's eyes widened at the sight, the haunting melody now making sense to her and re-jogging her memory. It was a song her mother often would sing to her before bed pertaining to the town and its history. It was something that Jin the Wind Master himself wouldn't have known of unless he had gone directly to her mother.

The images were paining Scarlet to the point her eyes began to shine with her coming tears. She subconsciously reached out to try and touch her mother's misty figure only to have it dissipate quickly to swarm about her arm she had outstretched, down to her stomach to pull back towards the flute Jin was playing from as the melody was coming to an end.

Once the song had ended, Jin opened his eyes to stare at the teary-eyed Scarlet through his wild, red hair. He could see she was still in a trance from seeing what she did as well as hearing a song she had so long forgotten it seemed. The wind demon reached out to place the tip of his finger upon her cheek, having Scarlet shift her eyes quickly upon her wind guardian. Seeing that she was aware of her surroundings so he wouldn't startle her, Jin cupped the side of her cheek to rub the pallid skin tenderly with his thumb. Jin then leaned forward to kiss Scarlet's forehead in attempts to settle her down. "You should start reading to relax your mind. The baptism is going to be tomorrow night. I need you fully prepared."

Scarlet's eyes wandered about the bedroom before fixing them upon the demon who had turned around to head for her door. "You're leaving me alone here?" She asked with her tone filled of vulnerability.

Jin stopped at the doorway, looking over at Scarlet with a light hum. "Well, I was going to sleep. I am quite tired from all that has happened recently. Why, do you need me for something?"

"I just don't feel comfortable being here alone right now," Scarlet admitted still unable to release what had happened to her before. "With all that has happened, I am too scared to sleep with those hunters now haunting my dreams…"

The wind demon released a heavy sigh, catching the painful fear in her eyes. "Alright," said Jin as he told Scarlet to get up and follow him with a motion of his fingers. "Alright, come with me." Jin out stretched his hand to usher Scarlet past her bedroom doorway and into the halls. He closed the door quietly behind him, keeping his hand upon the young worshipper's back as he headed wearily down to his bedroom. He never thought he would be so happy to see his own bed as he opened the decorative door to allow Scarlet inside.

Scarlet kept the books in her possession close to her as she made it into the wind demon's chambers. She had to admit that she herself was tired, but Scarlet was still too frightened to go back to bed. As there was only one bed in the room, she made her way over to the empty rocking chair to sit down upon to relax from the rocking.

Jin watched her movements as he headed to his empty bed. "You're going to sleep there?" He asked with a raise of his thin brow. "You know I don't mind you coming into my bed."

Scarlet grumbled slightly at his comment, turning her head to the side to have her stringy hair fall into her face. "I know you wouldn't mind, but I don't feel **that** comfortable about it."

"Or are you saying you don't feel that comfortable around me?" Jin inquired with a smirk as he removed the strips of fabric from his chest. "I suggest you turn around or something. I am going to need to undress for bed."

A blush settled upon Scarlet's face at the remembering of the demon naked causing her to quickly turn her head. She could only listen to the demon undressing, fighting the urge to want to look. "So, what is that flute you were playing for me?"

"Hmm?" Jin hummed in thought as he thought on his mystical instrument he had played for Scarlet. "You mean the Flute of the Underworld?" His clothes hitting the carpeted floor, Jin made his way over to his drawer to pull out long, baggy black pants for him to put on to sleep in for the night. "It's a flute I have had for millennia. It is said to be crafted from the Tree of the Dead and is a beacon to the spirits in the afterlife who come when I play it. Okay, you may look now."

Scarlet cocked her brow in confusion as she looked over at the wind master, "The Tree of the Dead? What is that?"

Jin made his way over to his bed to pull the covers back and get himself comfortable for the night. "It is a tree that thrives in Makai, which pulls the spirits of the passing to its branches. It is like a graveyard, you'd say, residing in the underworld."

"So when I die, I will head to that tree?"

The demon released a rather loud yawn with a stretch of his body. "No, not if I am there to pull your spirit from your body before it wanders from your form."

Scarlet at the moment couldn't help but be reminded of Teresa, who died of cancer weeks ago it seemed. "Did you do that with Teresa when she passed…?"

Jin was too tired to seem worried over his fallen worshipper as he simply answered, "Yes." He yawned into the palm of his hand to express his exhaustion. "It is painless, and I get to keep some of my worshippers if I make it to them in time." The moaning of the walls caught both of their attention causing Jin to look upwards at the ceiling, eyeing the startled Scarlet afterwards. "This temple is filled with most of my worshippers. It is a home for them when they cannot find comfort out there in Makai."

Opening to the first page of one of the books in her possession, Scarlet looked through her stringy, bi-colored hair at the wind master before pulling a loose strand behind her ear. "It would make this place seem so crowded in the afterlife."

The wind master turned his head slightly to look at Scarlet out of the corner of his eyes with a muffled chuckle. "You would think so, wouldn't you?" Jin rested his cheek upon the back of his hand. "Most of the worshippers these days wander the premises of the Wind Temple."

Scarlet knew that the boundaries of the Wind Temple stretched very far about the base of the mountain and about a good bit of it as well. "Do any of them walk the town?"

Jin shook his head, "Not right now they won't with it being filled with demons of all kinds." The wind demon yawned once more, expressing his fangs as he did so. "I am going to bed. If you need me, just let me know," Jin yawned upon every word as he rested his head upon his pillow. "And my bed is open to you if you need it."

She wasn't comfortable with that thought as she buried her nose into the book before her. "Thanks…goodnight." He was fast asleep by the time she whispered those words to him across the room. Scarlet rolled her eyes with a sigh to herself. "I guess when one plays 'god', one tends to get tired." With it just being her and the candlelight lighting the written pages before her, Scarlet began reading In the Darkness regarding Jin's past.

_I was probably up half the night trying to get through the book given to me by the High Wind Priestess Rachel. Even if I was tired at some points, about to nod off, I still found the energy to continue reading as I found the biography of the wind beast rather interesting. Even if his snoring was disruptive, I couldn't help but look over at him in sympathy._

Scarlet marked her spot in the book's many pages, placing it down on the stand near the rocking chair. She rubbed her eyes wearily as she made her way over to the slumbering wind demon. Standing at the foot of his bed, Scarlet gripped gently onto the woodwork of the bed's frame, which curled at the foot of the bed. She sighed, grabbing onto her shoes to remove them next to the bed before bothering to steadily crawl into the bed with Jin. Upon her knees, which nestled into the silky fabric, Scarlet pulled her loose hairs behind her ears to examine the features of the sleeping demon. Hesitantly she attempted to reach for him. Scarlet's fingers stretched out only to coil back upon Jin stirring. When the wind demon refused to move once more, she reached down to his cheek to stroke the hard, demonic skin.

Jin hummed in his sleep feeling the woman touching him.

Scarlet's grayish-green eyes continued to look him over before moving in closer to his elfin ear. "You really have been through a lot," she whispered to him, kissing his cheek tenderly. "Haven't you?" Finding herself to be tired and ready for bed, Scarlet made her way down to the covers Jin was wrapped within. She didn't bother covering herself up as she looked nervously about the room. Curling up close to Jin's body, she rested her head down upon one of the many pillows lining his bed.

The woman nuzzling in close to the wind demon, Jin opened one of his eyes to gaze down upon Scarlet. He didn't say anything or make any movements to startle her from sleeping upon his bed. Closing his eyes once more, Jin attempted to go back to sleep for the night pressing a smile as he did so.

--

Scarlet was able to peacefully asleep throughout the night next to the wind demon making her believe that he was a nightlight for her at that moment. Opening her eyes to the dimly candlelit room, Scarlet found herself alone in the wind demon's room under the covers of his bed comfortably. She pulled her messy black and blond hair out of her face, sliding out of bed to make it to the door. Upon opening the door, she could faintly catch the smell of food filling the corridor.

She couldn't deny that she was feeling hungry, so Scarlet headed down the winding corridors to find her way down to the eating hall at the far western part of the temple. Her hands touching upon the wooden doors, Scarlet pressed the arched entranceway open to see many benches several feet long with tables. Razz was one of the worshippers in the dining hall trying to help hand out breakfast with the other high priestesses and priests. Razz could feel somebody's eyes upon her, prompting the high priestess to look over at Scarlet, who was still hiding in the doorway.

"Oh, Scarlet," she beckoned to her, putting the last plate out of her way before jogging over to the young woman. "I guess the food drew you here, hu?"

"Yeah, I am quite hungry," Scarlet admitted, rubbing her stomach, which was paining her from hunger.

"I am afraid you cannot eat anything just yet, Scarlet," Rachel explained with a soft frown, feeling for Scarlet's hunger. "The Lord only wants you to drink water until after your baptism."

"Oh yeah, that's right," sighed Scarlet as she looked down at her feet, holding onto her stomach that felt need to protest then with a growl. "I guess I better get back to studying then, hu? All this food is too tempting for me right now."

Razz sucked in her lower lip, looking about the dinning hall to find it all too tempting for herself as well as she was promising herself to start a new diet to get back into shape. "I'll tell you what, once I finish up here, I will come and help you with your studies and preparation for later tonight. I find this place too much for me right now and the food that the Lord insists we serve." Razz stuck her tongue out as if to express her distaste in it. "The greasy stuff is not my thing. It has gotten me fat." Her hand rested upon Scarlet's upper arm, she expressing a smile to her. "I will be there in a moment. Just meet me in your bedroom."

Scarlet managed to smile if even for a moment. "Alright, let me go get my books then. I left them in Jin's room." Hearing that, Razz paused for a moment making an odd face, which Scarlet caught. "What is it?"

"The Master allowed you in his room for the night?" She tilted her head downwards, raising her brows to show her curiosity. "And exactly what happened in there overnight?"

Her tone was hinting something Scarlet found a reason to blush over though she was tempted to hide it with her hand. "Oh-oh dear Gods, nothing! I would never do anything like that with him!"

Razz closed her eyes slowly, biting her lower lip as if trying not to allow herself to smile any brighter. "Okay," she said full of doubt. "If that is what you say." Razz turned back to the matter at hand. "I will see you in a few."

Scarlet still couldn't get rid of the bright red blush painted across her face as she hurried out of the dinning hall and back into the twisting corridors. Her hand meeting with her forehead, she shook her head as if wishing to get that thought out of her head. "He didn't touch me…at least I don't think so."

"I never did," Jin's voice came from the ceiling.

His voice startled Scarlet, causing her to rest her back quickly against the door behind her at that moment with her arms outstretched across it as well. Looking up at the ceiling she found the wind master hanging upside down with his arms crossed. "Dammit, you scared me!"

Jin merely smiled down at her remaining upon the ceiling as if he were walking on the ground. He shrugged at the doors leading back into the dinning hall. "Razz just thinks something happened like that because usually I do that for spiritual energy feeding."

"Energy feeding?" Scarlet inquired, pushing off of the door behind her.

Finally Jin pushed his feet against the marble ceiling to land perfectly upon the floor before Scarlet. "Follow me, and I'll explain." His hands in his pockets, Jin headed slowly down the hallway stretched before them both, hearing Scarlet following behind him. "Whenever a demon's powers get low, they dream walk into their worshippers' dreams to have sexual contact with them to feed off of their energies. Being most of the worshippers we go to are very dedicated, they don't hesitate to offer their bodies up to us."

Scarlet cocked her brow at Jin before wrinkling her forehead in thought. "And exactly how do you get energies out of people through spiritual, sexual contact?"

Jin turned down the left hallway further on up the hall they were within to make his way back to his bedroom. "During the sexual act, energy is created, which is usually very warm to the touch. It becomes a rather thick cloud of power we can feed off of." He looked briefly over his shoulder at Scarlet. "That is what I meant by I am still a virgin. I have only had sexual acts in the spirit world with my worshippers or the un-baptized."

Scarlet looked down at her feet, trying to digest all that was being given to her. "So, you would do that to me one day?"

"Maybe," Jin responded as he made it down to his door. "Right now your energy is quite low. If I were to steal any of it, you'd be wiped out, but don't be surprised if Touya starts getting desperate. He is running low on energy from having to keep his shards of hell out to bar the escaping demons' way out of the town." Opening his door, he motioned at Scarlet. "Wait here. I will get your books for you."

Hearing of her other demonic father, she sighed in a bit of worry. "He is not going to die doing that, is he?"

Jin grabbed the books Scarlet brought with her to start reading last night. "Touya is a rather high ranked demon. I doubt he would die doing so. If he was on the verge of losing all of his energy, he would tell his high priestesses or priests to get the worshippers to help him with his powers." He turned over the books belonging to Scarlet with a smile. "I wouldn't worry about him. He'll be just fine. He has more than enough worshippers to go to for energy feeding."

Scarlet accepted the books back, holding the leather binding close to her chest whilst looking up at the wind master. "Are you getting ready for tonight?"

The wind demon scratched an annoying itch on the side of his head with a nod. "Yes, I am. I need to be alone to do so. Sorry to disappoint."

Finding that remark to be rather sarcastic, Scarlet stuck her tongue out at him. "I am sure I will survive." Turning on her heels, Scarlet made her way to her bedroom where Razz promised to meet with her. A lot had occupied her mind now as she made it to her temple room. She almost missed her room while consumed in thought. Her hand upon the doorknob, she was disrupted from Razz yelling down the hall.

"Scarlet, there you are!" She said breathlessly with a wave of her hand. "I was wondering where you went to as I just dropped by your room."

"Oh, sorry. You finished up quick." Scarlet pointed over her shoulder. "I had to get my books from Jin's room."

The same suggestive smile came upon Razz's features as she opened the door to Scarlet's bedroom. "I see."

Scarlet sighed with a roll of her eyes. "It wasn't like that!" She exclaimed, clutching her fists tightly at her sides. "Jin doesn't want to energy feed off of me anyways. He says I am too weak to do so." Walking past Razz, Scarlet placed her books down upon the bed. "He says Touya might come to me though as his energy is draining quite a bit with the barrier he has up around the town."

"Well, it is nothing to get embarrassed about; I can tell you that much," Razz chuckled, grabbing onto a chair to pull up next to Scarlet's bed. "It is a very intimate moment and close union with your spiritual 'fathers'."

Sitting upon her bedside, Scarlet thought about the ceremony Jin and Touya wanted her to go through that dealt with her losing her virginity. "Razz, this is a totally personal question, so I can understand if you don't want to answer it, but did Jin ever steal your virginity to keep you safe from Virgin Hunters?"

"Virgin Hunters?" Razz inquired with a raise of her brow. "Oh my God, you've been attacked by those things, haven't you?" She cupped her mouth for a moment before answering. "No, I never did. I choose somebody else to do it for him. It was the High Wind Priest I work closely with. The Wind Lord suggested I do so to end my encounter with such demons." Her hands brought together as if she were praying, Razz sighed. "I see you have a predicament then on who you want to take your virginity."

Scarlet managed a shrug as an answer to Razz's comment. "I don't feel comfortable with some stranger doing that with me, but I feel equally uncomfortable having Jin or Touya doing it." She raked her fingers through her hair for a moment with a hum. "And yet like I said, Jin says that Touya might do so spiritually sometime soon as he is getting his energy drained by keeping the ice barrier up about the town."

Razz brought her hands down, looking about the room as if making sure that nobody was listening in. "Personally, I would go with my demonic fathers if I couldn't find somebody," she whispered. "You know what they say: a demons' release is awfully addictive." Razz was sounding rather smug and trying to urge Scarlet into considering it.

The thought coming back to Scarlet made her blush ten times worse. "R-Rachel! What is the matter with you!" She exclaimed, pulling away from the priestess. "It-I don't want to do it with Jin just because of that!"

Razz couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh. "You get so defensive over the thought. Is there something you're not telling me?" She brought her hand up over her mouth in attempts to control her laughter.

Scarlet looked off to the side thinking back on the time she ran into the wind demon naked for the first time. "Well, I did catch him bathing in the Cleansing Room when you sent me there. It was the most embarrassing moment of my life!" She closed her eyes tightly as if trying to make herself forget it though a part of her refused to do so. Scarlet could still recall walking into the room to find Jin there visible from the upper thighs upwards and how godly his form seemed for a demon.

A smirk crept onto Razz's face as she watched Scarlet's face turn a brighter red by the second. "Ooh, so you saw everything about him, eh?"

"It's not like I had a choice in the matter!" Scarlet barked angrily at Razz's continuous badgering about the topic. "He walked out of the water ass naked!"

Razz laughed out loud once more, covering her mouth yet again in attempts to keep her voice down though it was difficult. "Well, you have to understand that as a wind demon, he rarely has boundaries for himself."

"Yeah," Scarlet grumbled, "I noticed."

"Anyways," Razz cleared her throat as she situated herself upon the wooden chair she was now sitting upon. "Let's get you prepared for that baptism tonight, shall we? I warn you now, it will drain you quickly; especially with somebody of your energy level." With her hand open and scanning Scarlet's aura, the High Priestess could tell that Scarlet was quite weak compared to normal humans.

Blowing a strand of hair out of her face, Scarlet grumbled at having to be repeatedly told that lately. "Alright, whatever, let's just get on with this."

While Scarlet got ready for the baptism that was awaiting her later that night, Touya remained at his temple upon the throne sitting within the main room his worshippers usually used to worship him. He could feel his energy levels fluctuating from having to keep the barrier strong. His fingers resting upon his forehead, he closed his eyes tightly with a weary growl realizing he had to feed again.

One of the high priestesses of the Ice Temple noticed the state he was in. Her hands folded before her, the wavy haired, brunette made her way over to the ice demon she could clearly see to kneel before him. "My Lord," she whispered, her sapphire eyes gazing up at him with worry. "Are you alright?"

Touya opened his eyes, placing them upon the priestess with steady breathing. "I am alright, Jessie," he whispered in return. "Those demons keep trying to tear down my barrier, and it is draining my energy considerably trying to keep it up about the town."

Jessie rested her hands upon the cold fingers of the ice demon in attempts to comfort her demon 'god'. "Do you need my help again?" She asked, resting her cheek upon his thigh, looking up at him.

"I cannot take anymore of your spirit energy, Jessie," Touya grunted as he fought the want to do so. His fingers flexed, curling into fists as he resisted his urges. "If I take anymore, you will be left drained throughout the next twenty-four hours."

She could tell that the ice demon was conflicted. "I don't mind, my Lord," Jessie insisted, gripping onto his pants attire gently. "You are tired and are being weakened by trying to protect us. Please, at least allow me to help." She closed her hands about one of Touya's, bringing it close to her chest. "At least let me to do that much for all you are doing for us."

Continuing to eye his high priestess, Touya sighed at his weakness, closing his eyes for a moment to try and regain what energy he could. Bringing his hand down from his forehead, the ice master placed his fingers upon Jessie's to send a blast of energy into her body, forcing it into a sudden deep sleep. Upon the spell hitting her, the high priestess closed her eyes and about collapsed backwards only to have Touya catch her with his arm.

"I will see you in your dreams," Touya said softly to the slumbering priestess as he helped her down upon the marble floor seeing as he had not the power to move her elsewhere.

Jessie was out cold even within the spiritual world. Her naked form was resting there within what appeared to be Touya's bedroom. Moaning softly, she found her soul stirring there upon the ice master's bedcovers, opening her eyes to the room about her. _**"Master Touya…?"**_ She asked softly, looking about the spiritual representation of the area.

Touya soon showed there at the foot of the bed in his spirit form. He crawled over to the woman lying upon his bed to keep her where she was, his chilly hands sliding into hers as if to pin her down on the bed. _**"I am sorry for having to do this again,"**_ he apologized hoarsely, his mouth inching closer to hers to kiss her tenderly.

The young woman wasn't given the moment to let the ice demon know it was alright as she accepted his deep kiss, cupping the back of his head to help him cultivate the energy he needed from her body.

--

Thanks to not having anything to eat, Scarlet was starting to stand on her last leg throughout the training Razz was putting her through throughout the afternoon well into the evening. The energy work dealing with her chakras and blessing of her items she would need to use throughout her years under the wind master had her completely spent as she collapsed upon her bed. "No more," Scarlet begged as she wanted to just lie there and go to sleep. "I have had enough…!"

Razz scratched the back of her head with a sigh through her nostrils. "I knew this would be too much for you, but Lord Jin needs your chakras open and body blessed before baptizing you." Pulling the sleeve of her robe back, the priestess checked the time. "Alright, I guess I better get you ready for the ceremony. Come with me." Razz pushed herself up off of the chair she was within to head to Scarlet's bedroom door.

Scarlet groaned as she got off of the bed to follow the high priestess out of her bedroom and down the right of the corridor her room resided in. "Where are we going?" She asked, yawning into her palm to express her desire to want to sleep.

"We're going to the Cleansing Room to get you ready in one of the more private rooms only used whenever somebody is getting baptized," Razz explained. Making their way through the Wind Temple to the Cleansing Room, Razz guided the nervous Scarlet through the area to the space she was speaking of that was located at the far left of the washing pool. Razz pulled the curtains back, lighting up the candles within the area with a simple movement of her hand.

The candles lighting without a match touching them caused Scarlet to stop dead in her tracks. "How-how did you do that?"

"Hmm?" Razz wondered looking over her shoulder at the bewildered Scarlet. "Oh, you mean what I just did?" She was so used to doing it without anybody saying anything, Razz was curious at first as to what Scarlet was speaking of. "When you get further into your high priestess' training and actually open up to the powers given to you at birth, you can do many things. That is how I was able to learn that trick." There was a small stool in the middle of the room, which was decorated in many candles and handmade drawers as well as a finely crafted mirror that stretched across the left side of the room. Razz pushed it closer to the center of the small box room before patting it with her palm. "Sit. We have much to do."

"What all do we have to do? Jin told me I was going to be naked in front of everyone anyways." With the thought of that coming to her made Scarlet sick to her stomach in nervousness as she made her way over to the stool to sit.

"Well, I have to fix your hair and put the right markings on your body," Razz explained as she pulled a small bowl out from the upper right drawer from the vanity below the mirror as well as a few paintbrushes. She grabbed a pouch filled with white powder to pour within the bowl before holding it over an oil burner to get the powder to turn into liquid.

"This feels so…weird," Scarlet admitted, twisting about nervously upon the stool. "Why do I need tattoos on my body?"

"It is an ancient tradition used in the olden days," said Razz as she stirred the powder turning liquid. "The body paint used is said to be bestowed with magical spirit energies. When the wind Lord baptizes you, the body paint will glow and mix with your blood from the cut he will give you and signify where you will be placed in his temple as far as being a priestess, high priestess, a cook, servant, messenger, and so on."

Scarlet furrowed her brow, thinking back on her baptism under Touya. "I wonder what I was to be under Touya the Ice Master."

Razz pulled the bowl from the burner, picking up a paintbrush in between her fingers. "That depends on what your mother was training you for when growing up." She dipped the bristles of the brush into the white liquid. "Get undressed."

Being told to undress before the high priestess made Scarlet nervous as she refused to do so at first until Razz pleaded with her to do so once more. "She wasn't really training me for anything, now that I try to remember," said Scarlet as she pulled her shirt over her head. "She did used to call me her little handmaiden."

Razz tried to keep her attention away from the undressing Scarlet so as not to make her further uncomfortable. "Handmaiden, hu? Then that means you were going to be a priestess."

"Will that not mean I will be one here as well?"

The high priestess shrugged, keeping her back turned to Scarlet. "I have known people to have different jobs when baptized under two different demons."

Pulling her undergarments off, Scarlet couldn't help but quickly cover her B sized breasts with a heavy sigh. "Alright, let's get this over with. I am ready."


	21. Chapter 21

Razz ran her delicate fingers through Scarlet's messy, straight bi-colored hair only to have a few strands fall out onto her hand to show how unhealthy it was. She shook her hand to get rid of the tresses. "Goodness, you obviously don't eat enough. Your hair keeps falling out onto my hand." Razz continued to rake her fingers through it to have a bit more to do the same. "Has it always done this?"

Scarlet flinched a bit as some of her tangles were pulled out either by Razz's fingers or by the brush Razz was using. "Yeah, it always has been that way. It falls out a lot because of stress and other things."

"I can tell," the high priestess remarked softly. Twisting the part of hair she had in her hand into a chignon bun, Razz tied it there while putting a few thin Japanese needle hairpins to keep it in place. She allowed a few shorter strands of Scarlet's hair to flow down out of the bun about the young woman's face. "Alright, your hair is finished, and so are your markings. Now, let's get you outside to greet the Wind Lord."

With the uncomfortable feeling of not wearing anything in front of some of the worshippers, Scarlet couldn't help but dig her feet into the marble flooring. She grabbed onto one of the towels in the room to place before her body, shaking a bit nervously while gazing at the curtains, which would open up to those attending. "No, no I can't do this…!"

Razz sighed, placing her hand behind her head. "Scarlet, you have to. The Wind Lord is in dire need of your assistance here." When Scarlet looked over at her confusingly, Razz continued. "Lord Jin only has so many true followers who can see and understand him. You may not understand him, but you can see him, and that is a start."

"Why does he need me that badly?" Scarlet wondered, keeping her body slightly covered in the white fabric hanging before her.

"Scarlet, who is it that keeps the fog under control during the morning hours?" Razz asked, knowing everybody knew the answer to that one. "The Lord only has so many worshippers he can go to when his energy gets low. He needs true worshippers to offer up their bodies to him in order for his powers to grow. With the current outburst in demon worshipping so few are left that he can actually do this to." Razz made her way over to the scared Scarlet to remove the towel from her with a tender smile. "Even if you are weak physically, he could still use you."

A sigh escaped through Scarlet's nostrils as she looked back through the curtains before her seeing some of the worshippers lined about the cleansing pool area. "I just-I don't want them to judge me…especially not my arms." The reminder that her scarred arms were within sight now made Scarlet sick, as she tried to hide them by wrapping them about her torso and leaning over.

"Everybody has their imperfections and life scars," Razz felt need to remind Scarlet. "Yours just happen to be in plain sight whereas everybody else's isn't." With her fingers still gripped gently upon Scarlet's shoulder, she could feel the youth starting to ease up and relax. "Are you ready now? Nobody is going to judge you, Scarlet. The Wind Lord will make sure of that."

"I hope you're right…," Scarlet mostly mumbled as she was finally convinced out through the archway and into the Cleansing Room's main area.

A few of the worshippers heard her surface prompting them to look over at her. None of them judged, but the way they stared long and hard upon Scarlet still made her uncomfortable. She had threatened to run back towards the room she came from, but Razz stopped her many a times to help her towards the north section of the cleansing pool where Jin would surface to greet her.

It took awhile, but eventually the door leading to the hallways opened to reveal Jin standing there in different attire he was usually seen within. He wore a silver bar about his waste. It was thin in appearance and went up about his hips and dipped back down upon his backside and front. It held a tribal looking cloth, white in appearance, and that hung in a long V-shape in the front and back. He bore nothing on his chest but a few odd markings, probably from the same make-up, which was placed on Scarlet as it was white in appearance. The wind demon had part of his wild, red hair pulled back to stay out of his face, which was also marked up by some of the body paint. He wore silver armlets and ankle bracelets, which chimed as he walked.

Scarlet tried to hide her bright red face as she turned to Razz. "Why is he dressed that way?"

"Well, back in the olden days, they used to be naked with those they chose to baptize," Razz explained, gripping gently onto Scarlet's bare shoulders. "It is now done by what they feel is right with the one they are baptizing. I am sure given your uncomfortable behavior around him being naked, he decided to at least cloth himself a bit for the ceremony."

As Jin continued onwards slowly towards Scarlet and Rachel, he moved off to the side slightly to reveal the ice master demon behind him, who had come to view the ceremony as he vaguely promised he would. Upon seeing the other demon worshipped under her mother, Scarlet froze up a bit not expecting him to be there.

"Are you ready?" Jin asked with a nod of his head at Scarlet.

"What-what is Touya doing here?" Scarlet wondered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"He is here to witness your baptism, like a loved one should," said Jin as he pulled Scarlet's hands away from her chest. "Partly he is here on your mother's behalf. It is always best to have somebody you love here, so he had to do."

Touya rolled his eyes at Jin's choice of words. "Thanks, Jin," he grumbled, placing his hand upon his hip.

"Can we just get this over with?" Scarlet practically begged, not wanting to stay before the wind demon worshippers naked any longer.

"Alright, alright," Jin said in a hushed whisper, raising his hands up in defense. "So testy you are." Placing his hand upon her bare back, the wind master guided her towards the water. "Just follow me, and you'll be fine."

Scarlet placed her toes into the cold water, tempted to jerk it back only to have Jin urge her forwards. Forced down into the chest high water, she made her way to the center of the cleansing pool with Jin right behind her. Making it to the center, she looked to the worshippers who had attended to watch the ceremony go on only to pull her gaze back down at the water beneath her. Scarlet was extremely nervous, and Jin could tell.

Jin gripped gently onto her shoulders as he held a jagged dagger in his right hand. "Just be still and relax. The tenser you are, the worse it is going to be." Facing to the east, he raised the dagger into the air while keeping Scarlet close to him. "Kèl dèn miat, sèn kèldin mat!"

Scarlet was confused as to what the demon was saying aloud to everybody around him who now saw fit to mimic his actions in pointing towards the east with their index and middle finger. _It must be demonic_, Scarlet thought to herself. At that time, a light suddenly came up from below the water causing the liquid surface to start to bubble as it was forced apart by the magical force engraved in the marble underneath.

The cleansing water parting, it showed the wind demon's symbol upon the ground. It was lighting up in a bright, yet soothing white light from the twist and turns of the mark. Scarlet watched as the light began to steadily interact with the body paint on her skin, causing it to light up slowly and warm her from the inside out.

Jin noticed the light reacting with both their bodies as he moved the dagger down towards her upper chest. Sparing a few more words in demonic, he moved the end of the dagger towards Scarlet's skin, piercing it to cause the blood to bubble forth from the cut he created. Jin watched as the blood crept down her skin to cause it to create a different pattern over the one the body paint made. He looked over at the painful expression she made from the cut he gave to her. "Do you want to know?" Jin asked as he leaned in a bit towards Scarlet's ear.

Breathing steadily from the slight soreness still stinging through her body, Scarlet managed a nod as she rested against the arm the wind demon had behind her.

Releasing a soft sigh through his nostrils for no particular reason, the wind demon looked back over the design now in blood red upon her body. "You're going to be my servant." Jin saw Scarlet look up at him rather confused and a bit insulted by where she was placed, forgetting the demon had no control whatsoever over where she was placed. "The guardians of the winds have decided! Scarlet Baker has been awoken and baptized under me!"

The water within the pool area started to settle, coming back into place slowly as it once was. The blue eyes of the wind master looked over at the ice demon standing on the sidelines. It was Touya's signal to throw the piece of fabric he had in his possession towards the two, so he could stop the bleeding from the cut he had to make. Jin caught the cloth in his open hand, to wrap it about Scarlet's lower neck area where he had pierced her.

Scarlet reached up to the bandage now covering her baptism wound. "So what about the body paint? What do I do with that?"

Jin looked down at Scarlet with a raise of his thin brows. "In due time, it will disappear," the wind master explained as he helped Scarlet out of the cleansing pool and to Razz who was holding a towel to wrap her naked form within. "Right now, the next thing of importance is do you want to go through with the other ceremony?"

Touya nudged Jin harshly in the side causing the wind beast to wheeze. "Can you not take this one step at a time, you eager bastard?" He narrowed his eyes, scolding Jin with his arms crossed upon his chest.

"Jeez, okay!" Jin grumbled, rubbing his side. He blew the hair out of his face with a shake of his head. "I didn't think it would hurt to do so, but then there is always you."

Touya allowed Jin to amble off while in slight pain, shaking his head in return at the redhead to show his disapproval of Jin's actions. He saw Scarlet's confusion written upon her pallid, weary face. The ice master couldn't help but smile reassuringly at her. "Do not rush your decision right now on that virgin ritual. Whenever you're ready, let one of us know."

Razz slipped her hands upon Scarlet's shoulders. "What was she? She was a servant, right?" She titled her head to the side curiously, parts of her hair sliding into her face.

"She is a servant under Jin," Touya confirmed. "I am sure Jin will agree she can start her training later tomorrow." He turned slightly to the side to show he was going to be leaving soon. From where he was, Touya could see the concern and slight irritation in Scarlet's expression. "And Scarlet," he began, catching her attention, "there is nothing wrong with being a servant." With that being said, Touya made his leave of the place.

Scarlet watched as the ice demon headed out of the double doors and disappeared into the dimly lit hallway beyond them. "What does being Jin's servant mean for me?" She asked the high priestess.

Razz smiled down at Scarlet. "It means many things for you. I will explain later tomorrow. It is late, and you need your rest for now." The high priestess helped the baptized Scarlet out of the Cleansing Room, helping her to the bedroom. "I can tell you that the class is not something to be ashamed of; that is for sure, my dear."

"I was expecting something that wouldn't sound so…degrading," Scarlet admitted with a raise of her brows at the word. "Why is it that I was going to be a priestess under Touya, but I am a servant under Jin? Why do people get put under different classes when worshipping two different demons?" She couldn't find the logic in this as she was soon helped down the hallway and to her bedroom door in the candlelit corridors.

Razz allowed Scarlet inside of her bedroom, lighting a single candle with a wave of her hand to pass over to the weary girl, so Scarlet could have some light within the horribly dark space. "Each person is built differently, spiritually and physically," Razz explained as she handed the candle over to Scarlet, pointing to the bed close to the circular wall. She knew Scarlet was exhausted from trying to help the scarred woman's chakra's open. "The demons have different uses for different people. Apparently your body spiritually was powerful enough at your young age to over cloud everything else and have you be chosen as a handmaiden in Touya's care. But your spirit was weakened now, so no doubt your body's physical abilities came out further this round, and you were chosen as a servant."

Scarlet sat down on the side of the bed, holding the candle in her possession. She could make out Razz's features thanks to that single flame's light touching a few objects within the room. "How can I weaken my spirit? I thought I only weakened my body with depression."

"Well, your spirit essentially makes up your body and without that, you wouldn't be alive right now. When you threw yourself in depression, you weakened your spirit by not doing anything to make it stronger. You lain in bed all day and rarely ate," Razz said, joining Scarlet upon her bedside with her hands tucked in her lap. "If your body doesn't have healthy habits, your spirit isn't going to either. Also, given the fact that you probably stopped your spiritual training under your mom, your abilities you could have obtained as a high priestess went dormant, and you lost them."

Scarlet shifted her feet slightly, placing the candle upon her nightstand, which was at the head of her bed. "Can I get them back?"

Razz shifted her eyes off to the side with a twist of her mouth. "Well, of course, but that doesn't change what class you are in right now. Even once you die, you are still going to be the Wind Lord's servant." The high priestess got to her feet steadily to make it towards the cracked bedroom door. "And trust me, he has so few of those lately, so the more the better for him." She could see Scarlet roll her eyes in the dim lighting prompting Razz to chuckle in the back of her throat. "Get some sleep. You have all new lessons to learn in due time considering your class."

Having to think of that made Scarlet further tired as she lied down under the covers of her bed. Blowing out the candle, she wrapped herself up tightly though flinching from the slight pain near her neck. "Goodnight then, Razz. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Scarlet. Sleep well." Razz quietly closed the door behind her as she made it down the hallway to her own bedroom. The halls seemed a lot more quiet and deserted than usual. It put an uneasy feeling through her small figure. The wind that used to once comfort her was beginning to cover her skin in nervous goose bumps.

Darkness within the hall began to steadily creep from the walls and cover the corridors in a thick fog. It moved as if it were alive, snuffing out the candles along the way to feed the growing cloud. Razz didn't notice anything until it finally caught up behind her, blowing out the last candle within the hall she was within, making it so dark that she could hardly see a thing. Her heartbeat quickened as the blowing of the wind felt like somebody breathing heavily upon the back of her neck. Knowing what it had to be made Razz attempt to straighten up and gather what courage she could.

"You are not welcome here," she almost whispered through her heavy breathing. Her fingers hesitantly made their way up to the wind pendent she had on at all times. She spun around quickly on her heels with her hand outstretched and her palm out. "Be gone from here!" Razz yelled, blasting the demon with what light power she could muster to pain the beast.

The demon screeched loudly at the light piercing through the darkness it had created and fed upon. It spared a few warped words in possibly demon before lunging forwards to cover Razz in a whirlwind of suffocating darkness.

Razz brought her hands up quickly, screaming from the assault of the fog. "No! **JIN**!" She yelled, keeping a firm grip onto her pendant to muster up more of her strength for another attack. "You're not welcome here! Be gone!" Razz demanded again, putting her hands side by side with her palms out to blast it again, weakly, with another light blast. The light barely made it through the thick darkness. It was snuffed out just like the candles within the hallway. Razz was unable to stay on her feet much more as she felt as though she was being choked by unseen hands.

Jin heard Razz's yell for him as well as hearing her soul weaken drastically. He quickly ran down the many hallways looking frantically for her with a wiggle of his ears, which could hear her spirit's melodic tune. "Rachael!" He growled angrily at the demon that dared to venture into his temple to try and steal one of the humans from under his watch. Pulling his hand back, he threw it forwards to unleash a strong gust of wind to blow the demon out of existence. With the thick fog gone, Razz's body could be seen on the floor in almost a fetal position. Jin hurried over towards her weakened form. Kneeling down behind her, he pulled Rachael's body over to see her skin had gotten paler and some of her veins darkened. "Rachael!" He yelled trying to snap her awake. When he couldn't get the high priestess to respond, he got to his feet and ran to the infirmary wing.

The nurse on night duty was cleaning everything she could, hoping to keep herself occupied for the time being as it was awfully quiet for the night. It didn't last for long when Jin plowed through the doors with Razz in his arms. The young woman jumped to her feet, spinning around in her long white robes, some of her straight, strawberry blond hair coming down from the bun she had. "My Lord…whatever is the matter? Oh my goodness, Lady Rachael!" She gasped, covering her mouth upon dropping the towel she was cleaning her utensils with.

Jin helped the body of Razz over to the bed in the center of the room. "You've got to help her!" He pressed his ear against Razz's chest to listen to her heartbeat. "Her heartbeat is weak!"

The nurse opened her hand and rested it over Rachael's body to try and find the problem as those in the infirmary were taught to do. Closing her eyes for a moment, she concentrated on the weakened aura of the high priestess lying before her to find most of it suffocating from the thick, gaseous fog the demon left behind inside of her. She opened her eyes and brought her hand back slowly. "The demon managed to get some of himself inside of her body. It has poisoned her and weakened her aura."

"Flush it out of her body then!" Jin urged demandingly.

Biting her lower lip, the young nurse wondered if she'd be able to do so without somebody to at least do an exorcism. Upon an idea hitting her, she tensed up for a moment and raised one finger at the demon. "I think I might have something." She scurried over towards the many different potions lining the shelves to pluck two from the upper ridge. The nurse grabbed the two potions and mixed them accordingly into an empty vile causing the liquid to almost turn into bottled sunshine. "It looked like a darkness demon got her. Any form of light whatsoever can flush what is left inside of her out." She showed the bright liquid within the clear vile to the wind master. "This has to do it."

"How do you give it to her?" Jin wondered as he supported Razz's head.

"She has to swallow it," the nurse explained looking rather confused at the redhead. "With her out cold, I don't know how to make her do that."

"Give it to me!" Reaching over, he grabbed the vile to put the liquid into his own mouth before directing Razz's face towards him. Leaning down, he placed his lips upon Razz's pale to get the medicine into her body.

Razz suddenly turned away, her body beginning to convulse violently from the amount of it getting inside of her. Her hands tightened into fists as she arched her back and screamed from the remains of the demon being forced out. She threatened to start tearing at her own skin with her nails causing Jin to restrain her with the nurse's help.

"Come on; come on," Jin begged over her howling in misery. "Come out of there!"

Razz arched her back once more, widening her white eyes while coughing up blood, which was so dark in color, it almost looked like oil. She paused in that position for a moment before going slack, closing her eyes as her head rolled to the side.

Jin witnessed the high priestess doing such a thing, worrying him greatly. "Razz?" He called, leaning in towards her a bit. "Rachael?" When she didn't respond, Jin started tapping her cheeks a bit to try and get her to wake while the nurse attempted to wipe the blood from her mouth. "Rachael, wake up!"

The nurse watched hopelessly as the wind demon tried to get the high priestess to respond.

Opening her eyes finally, showing off her chocolate brown orbs, she looked over at the concerned demon. "My Lord…?" She inquired wearily. "What…happened…?"

"Oh thank the wind, Rachael, you're okay!" Jin praised breathlessly as he rolled his palm backwards from her forehead to her messy, brunette hair. "A darkness demon got you in the hallway. It nearly got away with killing you by leaving its mark inside of your body."

Razz flinched a bit as she took a slow breath inward. "My body still feels numbed with pain. I can feel parts of it still inside of me…" The high priestess wanted to cry, not enjoying the thought of a foreign demon marking the inside of her body in any way. "Can you not get one of the priestesses to get the rest of it out of me?"

"It is too small a job for them right now, Lady Rachael, you know that," the nurse said, handing over a large, clear container of the potion she made for the high priestess to swallow earlier. "Besides, it isn't a demon inside of you, but the demonic darkness he left behind in your body. You need to take this every two hours to get it flushed out of your body completely. Soon you'll feel back to normal in no time."

Jin watched as Razz attempted to sit upright only to moan in agony at how every inch of her was still in pain from the aftermath of that experience. He took the large container in her hand so that it would be safe from the woman's weak grasp. "Right now you need to rest. If you need me to take you to your room, I will do that for you."

Rachael couldn't deny she was still startled. The thought of sleeping alone that night made her very uncomfortable and frightened. "Can I sleep with somebody tonight, my Lord?" She practically begged, grabbing onto his white strips of cloth. "I can not find it in me to sleep alone tonight."

"You can stay with me," Jin said as he slid his arms underneath Razz's body to pull her into his embrace. "Tonight I really have to talk to those high priests and priestesses. The demons are still getting through." He sighed, holding his fallen follower close to him. "I cannot allow anymore of my worshippers to endure this kind of pain." He turned to the nurse with a serious frown upon his face. "Tell the high priests and priestesses to get on it. I need a barrier around this temple for only the humans to pass through. I cannot allow anymore demons into my temple!"

"Yes, sir," the nurse said softly as she hurried out of the infirmary.

Wearily, Razz placed her fingers upon her throbbing head. "That demon…I am sorry, but it was so much stronger than I was. I thought I could take it on by myself." Razz felt need to explain her stance as Jin was always against the humans fighting alone when it came to demons; especially now seeing as even higher S classes were making their way through the portal connected to Makai.

Jin sighed as he made it carefully down to his bedroom. "You should have known better than to try and take on a demon by yourself, sweetheart." Upon making it to his bedroom door, he opened the door with his foot as his arms were full at the moment. Stepping inside, he pushed his hip into the opened door to make it close as he headed for his bed to place the worn priestess down upon the covers.

"I just feel so helpless with this situation," Razz admitted groggily. The covers curving about her body made her feel relaxed for once. She kicked off her shoes with the wind master's help. "I really wish none of this ever happened."

The wind demon helped her under the covers with a slight raise of his brows. "I am sure we all agree to that one." Taking the rounded, large vile, he placed it carefully on the nightstand to the left of her. "I will wake you up every two hours to have you take that. We cannot have you not getting what that demon left inside of you out of your system. It could kill you."

"Just rest for now, Razz," Jin insisted, placing his hand on the side of her face. His thumb stroked the smooth skin upon her cheek with a caring smile. He watched as she managed a nod before closing her eyes to sleep. Jin knew that she wanted him to stay with her, so he remained in his bedroom though merely sat upon the side of his bed.

--

The coming hours were rather peaceful. It relaxed the demons knowing that the worshippers wouldn't cause a lot of problems in the middle of the night. Shishiwakamaru rested upon the roof of his temple, sitting cross-legged with his demon, samurai sword over his right shoulder. His eyes were closed and his head lowered. While he was trying to sleep outside, a distant voice pleading for help caused the demon of death to quickly open his eyes. Raising his head, he pulled the sword from where it was resting to look over his shoulder with a confused expression. "Who is calling me?" Standing to his feet, the swift demon seemed to disappear with the speed he traveled at to make it down to his temple where the voice was coming from.

Shishi walked through the dark marbled hallways, lit with skull scones. His feet carried him through one archway designed into that of the grim reaper, walking down the red carped corridor before walking up a hallway, which rose up to the right. The hallways were confusing to most people new to the temple. They would twist and turn in odd directions, giving a person a sense of fear of not being able to find their way out. Maps had to be marked upon the walls to let people find out where they were going. Shishi on occasion had to make sure he too was going the right way as he headed to the next twisting corridor, which led to his bedroom he rarely used.

Walking down this long passageway, he noticed somebody at the end of the hall sobbing in a black hooded cape. His priestesses only wore that kind of cloak. As he made it closer, the stench of human blood was starting to really irritate his senses. "Priestess, what are you doing?" Shishi asked irritably.

The priestess paused, turning around steadily to face the demon of death she had been calling to for the past few days. When she finally was able to face Shishi, she showed him the blade that she had in her hand. She had apparently dragged the dagger across her arms in a desperate attempt to summon him. Her black eyeliner and mascara had mostly washed away from her tears, staining her face in the makeup. Her long black hair managed to slip through the hood she had up making Shishi realize who it was.

"Silvia!" He said in shock. For once he was able to reach the distant worshipper, but only because she was literally cutting her life away. Shishi hurried over towards Silvia to pull her up from where she was kneeling before his bedroom door. "Silvia, what are you doing?"

Silvia looked up at the demon of death, reaching up with her blooded hands to touch his face to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "You are here! You are finally here!"

Shishi grabbed onto her wrists gently to remove her hands from his face as her human blood was starting to mark his skin. The smell of her blood was really making him ill. "I've always been here. You were always just too stubborn to listen to me," he almost growled. "What are you doing to yourself?" He looked at the cuts littering her arms as he pushed the long, flowing sleeves of the robe back.

Bringing her injured arms close to her chest, she looked desperately up at the demon. "Everybody is still on that wild hunt for who caused the sudden flood of demons. Enough people knew I was working there to come looking for me. I need help, my demon Lord!" Silvia begged, stepping closer to Shishi. "They are going to find me and burn me alive! I don't want to die!"

It was an odd realization from a woman who, without worry, worshipped in masochistic ways to the demon 'gods'. Crossing his arms over his chest, Shishi sighed not sure what to do at first. Bringing his hand up to his mouth, he thought about a solution before ushering her towards his bedroom. "Come with me. I have an idea."


	22. Chapter 22

_**Author's Notes**_: Sorry for taking awhile on this. I got a Wii for one thing finally, and I have been enjoying every moment of pounding the snot out of people on virtual battlegrounds on World of Warcraft. Also I jammed my toes into my chair at full force, causing me to possibly break one. I don't know yet, and even if one is broken, there is nothing doctors can do and that sucks because it **HURTS**! XX

Enjoy the chapter.

--

Scarlet had no problem falling asleep that night after her baptism. Her mind reminisced about the old days when her mother was alive and the two were best friends. She remembered being a little girl and playing in the backyard with her mother by having Cynthia dance around with her in a circle. The dance was slow in Scarlet's mind. It was as if it were all in slow motion. She watched as Cynthia laughed and smiled while the two of them continued to dance around with one another in the multicolored leaves falling from the dying trees of that fall.

Her spirit watched from the sidelines as the scene continued. Scarlet remained behind the tree as the two of them hurried back inside of the house as the atmosphere began to change. The wind began to pick up causing the browned leaves to blow about upon the ground. With how vivid the dream was, Scarlet could taste the rain upon the wind currents soon hearing the thunder and seeing the lightening fork across the sky. The weather change bothered her little as she made it into the backyard, which was now empty. She knelt down in front of the small marble bench they had at the old house, overlapping her arms to rest her forehead upon them to release her sadness in seeing such a happy memory. She continued to sob there against her arms, not realizing that the ice demon was soon materializing within her dream underneath her arms.

Touya reached down to start stroking her upon the head to cause Scarlet to jerk her head up at the feel of his chilly hand. "I see you haven't forgotten about the old days with your mom. It must be hard," he whispered sympathetically. He looked over his shoulder at the back door before eyeing the saddened Scarlet. "It is best not to get so upset over such memories. If you do, I can only wonder which ones will truly bring you happiness."

Scarlet was more than surprised to see Touya soon there sitting beneath her arms. She gasped at his sudden appearance before looking over at the backdoor with him. Scarlet wiped her tears away with the palm of her hand, sniffling. "I just-I just really miss these times, is all. They bring me such happiness that I find myself crying."

The sound of the thunder and lightening catching Touya's attention, he gazed upwards at the cloudy skies with a frown. "You must not know how to change the scenery of your dreams." When Scarlet moved away from his lap, Touya got to his feet and waved his right hand's index and middle finger in an odd fashion before folding them into a fist. His eyes closed in concentration, he reopened them quickly to cause a tear within the dream sequence Scarlet was having. He headed over to the wavering rift he created, beckoning Scarlet to join him. "Come, follow me," he insisted as he disappeared through it.

She had no reason to doubt the ice demon now and where he was taking her, so Scarlet nervously made her way through the cut. A bright light nearly blinding her, she brought her arms up to her face to block it before finding herself falling face first within dew kissed grass. Scarlet slowly opened her eyes and peeked over her arms to find the scenery completely changed. The wind blowing tranquilly, she watched as the evenly cut grass shined as it bowed against the soft might of it. It was mostly open plain with flowers decorating the inside boundaries of the cobblestoned walls covered in vines. It reminded her of a palace's courtyard when she studded it all further.

"Do you like this better?" Touya asked off to the left. He was sitting upon the wall with his legs crossed. "Pretty neat, hu?"

Scarlet got to her feet, walking over to the nearby fountain made of white marble. "How did you do that?"

Touya shrugged. "It is a simple trick." He jumped down off of the wall, landing behind Scarlet as she continued to eye the fountain, which poured forth crystal clear water. "Anybody can do it to their dreams. If things are not going the way you want, just turn the atmosphere around. These dreams are not spiritual in any form. They are just a creation that your mind has made."

Her fingers gripped onto the structure of the fountain. "How will I be able to tell the difference between a spirit dream and my own? They both seem so realistic to me."

"Your dreams aren't going to be that realistic," Touya admitted as he motioned for the water in the fountain. "Touch it." Scarlet looked at him confusingly. "Go ahead; touch it."

Scarlet reached over to touch the water to hardly feel a texture to it. She could only feel a slight chill within it. "What about you? If you can travel into my dreams, what is the chance that anybody else can like a damned demon?"

"Scarlet, you are in control of your own dreams," the ice master reminded her once more. "If anything ventures inside of it, you have the power to remove it. You just need to remember that." Here he reached over to place his palm upon the young woman's cheek. "Nothing is going to happen to you."

She couldn't help but jerk away slightly. "Ooh, you're very cold," said Scarlet, removing his hand from where it was.

Touya raised his brows as he brought his hand back to his side. "Yeah, well, one of the 'benefits' of being an ice demon. Everything inside and out is icy cold."

"Everything is?"

The ice master nodded. "Everything is. I guess you could say it was my curse when I was damned." Touya looked at the back of his hands, which he placed there before his sight just below his chest. "Not a lot of people can handle me touching them or even taking them. It makes it rather difficult when it comes to energy feeding."

Scarlet raised her thin brows slightly, fidgeting a bit as she listened to him. "Is it—," she paused a second, looking down at the ground for a moment feeling too embarrassed to gaze directly at his crotch. "—is it really _**that**_ cold?"

"You'd be surprised. It is colder than a blizzard rushing through your very core. Being an ice demon, I cannot stand obsessive heat. If I am out in it too long, my body temperature drops, and I get sick." He sat down upon the side of the marble fountain. "This is why I am only really active during the winter months."

"So you could die from overheating?" Scarlet wondered, reaching down to touch his chilly hand once more. "I thought it was impossible for demons to die."

Touya chuckled with a shake of his head. "No, it isn't impossible. We can die at the hands of others. We are just so strong no human being can do it to us. Only other demons can." He opened his palm, turning his hand over so Scarlet could touch it better. He could see her getting chills from just rolling her fingers across it. He raised the hand to tell her to wait a second before bringing it above the other. The palms meeting with one another, he gathered his icy powers there before steadily pulling his hands apart to show his ice forming together into that of a single rose. Holding it gently by the stem knowing his strength could shatter it, he passed the icy flower over to Scarlet. "Here, take this."

Scarlet reached for the rose feeling the chill against her hands. "Won't it melt?"

"As long as I am alive, it won't break or melt," Touya said softly. "Nobody can break my ice. It is impossible." He pushed himself off of the fountain, making his way over to one of the moss and vine covered archways made of cobblestone. "It is time for me to leave. I better get going."

She stared at the rose in her hands before turning around quickly. "Touya!" Scarlet called out in attempts to stop him. The ice demon turned around, gazing over his shoulder at Scarlet. She almost seemed to hide behind the icy rose in her possession. "Umm, if I were to have that virginity thing done, you wouldn't be the one to do it to me, would you?"

"No," he answered with a brief smile. "I am afraid even with the pull out method, I would still overwhelm your body." Touya brought his hands together waving them up and down a bit as he thought on the title of the book he had in mind for her to read. "When you wake up, there will be a book on your nightstand. I want you to read about the ritual before considering it so quickly. I don't want you to have any regrets." Without another word said, Touya left Scarlet there within the fantasy dream he helped her create.

The pleasant sequence continued for awhile until the loud, muffled chime of the town's clock woke her from her slumber. Realizing it was morning already, Scarlet moaned and rolled her palm over her face to try and get rid of the sleep resting about her eyes. She moved her feet from under the covers to the floor. Sitting upon her bedside, she saw something shining out of the corner of her eye causing Scarlet to look over at the nightstand at the head of her bed. Much to her surprise, she found the icy rose sitting in a glass vase as well as the book Touya mentioned in her dream.

She picked up the black leather book into her hands to examine the title. "The Rituals of Wind Knoll," she muttered to herself. She opened the book to the index to find a large verity of rituals she never even knew of given her sixteen years under Touya the ice master. Scarlet saw the title for the virginity ritual causing her to flip onwards to page 151. Sitting down upon the side of her bed, Scarlet put some of her loose strands of hair behind her ear so she could read better.

_**Enveloping Purity into Darkness**__ is an old ritual practiced within Wind Knoll for many years since the town was built. It is used to take the virginity of mainly women though some men have been known to partake within it as well with a female companion appointed to them by the Gods' choosing. While in the past none of the participants could choose their partners, the Gods have now arranged it to where partners can be chosen at the Gods' discretion. The ritual can be performed as soon as a young woman has her first period to the age of 15 for a male._

_The ritual standards are decided between the two involved. It can be performed in the Procreation Room or in private. It must be performed on the temple grounds under the watchful eye of the Gods and nowhere else. It is advised for the female or male to choose their partner wisely as they will be bound to that partner spiritually. In ancient text, it is said that this was the ritual that married couples would perform for men to keep their wives from harm of Virgin Hunters._

Scarlet paused for a second upon reading that part. "They are considered 'bound' by this ritual? Then, what does that mean for me?" She quickly skimmed the rest of the text to the part if the God of the temple offered to step up.

_If the woman participating in this ritual cannot find a partner than the Lords will be the one to perform it with them. After the ritual is performed, they are considered soul bound. The God than becomes the spirit father or husband to the woman the ritual was performed on, making most choices go through him._

She stopped in her reading, looking up from the pages slowly. "He will become my spiritual _**husband**_? That-that can't be possible!" Scarlet quickly got to her feet with the book tucked under her arm. She hurried out into the hallway in her pajamas not caring who saw her in such attire with it being nine in the morning. Scarlet tore through the corridors and made her way down to Jin's bedchambers. She rammed her fist eagerly upon the door. "Jin, I need to speak with you!"

The door opened quickly to have the wind master standing there. "What is wrong!" He demanded to know in a high whisper. "Can you not keep it down? Rachael is sick, and she needs to rest!"

Scarlet whacked his chest with the book in her hands. "I need to speak to you about that ritual."

Jin closed his eyes with an irritable sigh through his nostrils. "Fine, what do you want to know?" He closed his bedroom door behind him to make sure his high priestess would get her peace. Jin saw the book in her hands causing him to quickly steal it from her when she wasn't expecting him to. "Where did you get this?"

"Touya recommended it to me," Scarlet explained. "And it is a good thing he did, because I would have been marrying somebody spiritually, I am not that emotionally attached to!"

The wind master brought the side of the book just below his nose as if to hide his expression. He couldn't find the right words for what he wanted to say making him hum in thought. "Well, do you have any men in mind that you would like to marry or be soul bound to?" He saw how Scarlet seemed to fidget and fade her angry frown into a saddened one upon realizing there hardly was anybody. "Is there anybody that you trust?" The questions didn't help the feeling inside of the young woman now. Jin witnessed her lowered her head almost in shame. He pulled the book down to his side, resting his hand upon her shoulder to direct her attention. "Scarlet, you know I wouldn't let you down. Just because I annoy you doesn't mean I am going to steer you wrong."

Scarlet shrugged her shoulder backwards to make him release it. "What twisted pleasure are you going to get out of this! I don't-I _**can't**_ be bound to you in any way!"

Jin looked at her with a raise of his brow and shake of his head wondering if she realized how stupid that sounded. "Have ya looked at your palm lately? Honey, you are bound to me right now."

She hid her marked hand against her pajama top. "I don't-I don't want anything to change. But I also don't want the Virgin Hunters to continue stalking me in my dreams…"

Looking over Scarlet who appeared torn in her decision, Jin placed his hands upon his knees while bending them a little bit to catch Scarlet's eyes seeing as he towered over her. "Scarlet, there is no guarantee that the Virgin Hunters will leave you alone upon this ceremony being completed. Even so, demons will come out of sexual hunger just to get you. Now, we can go through with it, and I can stand guard against any demon who dare try to, or you can be alone and without a partner and have demons tear through to get to your body." He handed the book back to her with a brief smile. "It is your decision."

"But you're my…'God'. Aren't you supposed to willingly do that already?"

Jin sighed as he stood back upright. "Scarlet, I have several worshippers here and out there to think about." He gestured to beyond the walls before running his fingers through his hair. "I can't be there as often as you want me to. I am sorry for that."

Scarlet looked up at the wind demon for a second before looking back down at her fingers she was fidgeting with. "…So what will be the difference once this ritual is over?"

"The difference is, I will have a better connection with you. I will be able to come into your dreams and protect you from the negative experiences you have been enduring lately. In a way, you're my spirit's wife. While it is written that no worshipper is held higher than the other, think of this as a small loophole in that text." Jin winked with a smile. "Don't worry. I promise nothing is really going to change."

"But-what about making most choices go through you? I didn't understand that part," Scarlet explained with a bewildered look.

Jin looked upwards as if the answer was written there for him, squinting out of one eye. "It just means that if you're going to get married, I will be the one to decide if I want you to and who with. If you are going to work somewhere, I will be the one to decide when and where. I am the one who decides your curfew and when it is time to get up. Just think of me as your father." He raised his thin brow at her with a smile. "And that is basically what I am already, right?"

"I guess so," Scarlet mumbled not liking the thought of an overbearing father in her life even if it would slightly be a step-up from the one she had.

He titled his head forwards a bit with a raise of his brows once more. "So, do you want to go through with it?"

Scarlet rubbed the back of her head before finally caving in. "Alright…fine, I will go through with it." She looked off to the side while hugging her body. "I cannot afford to have those hunters after me any longer."

"Okay then." Jin guided his side to the doorway to lean against. "I will get with you later today about the details. Right now I really need to make sure Rachael is okay."

"Is she going to be okay?" Scarlet asked, reaching out to the wind demon only to withdraw her hand.

"Don't worry about her," Jin insisted as he started to close his door. "She will be fine soon enough, I am sure. Just head down to the dinning room and get something to eat. Having only been allowed to drink water for a day must have you very hungry." With that said, the wind master shut the door before Scarlet, so he could attend to his high priestess who was still suffering from the aftermath of the demon attack.

Scarlet did as she was asked seeing as she was quite hungry from not really eating anything a whole day. Making her way through the room's large arched doorway, she walked into the Dinning Hall to have the tantalizing smell of food tease her nostrils. Scarlet kept the book under her arm as she grabbed a tray and a plate to put some pancakes, biscuits, and grits on her plate. She was a picky eater around breakfast time. With everything perfect on her plate, Scarlet headed over to an empty spot at one of the tables. As soon as she sat down another worshipper joined her.

"Mind if I sit here?" The short, black haired priestess asked sitting beside her.

"Hey, I remember you. Your-umm-your name is Andrea, right?" Scarlet was hoping she was right as she was horrible with names. She remembered the young priestess from the first time she came into the Wind Temple.

"I am surprised you remember me. But yes, that is my name. Yours is Scarlet, right?" Andrea asked as she moved her scrambled eggs about on her plate before eating some.

"Hey, ladies," an elder male remarked as he sat down across from them. He was probably in his mid to late thirties from appearance. He had wavy, brown hair that matched his brown eyes as well. Freckles spotted his face a bit. The garb he was wearing, Scarlet could only assume he was a high priest of some kind. It was a white robe with long, flowing sleeves and gold trim. "How are you this morning?"

"Scarlet, this is Justin Thompson," Andrea introduced. "He is one of the high priests around here. He is baptized under two different demons just like you are."

"Really?" Scarlet wondered shifting her focus between the two as she broke apart her biscuit.

"Yeah," Justin answered with his mouth slightly full of his biscuit. "I am baptized under Lord Jin and Hiei. Normally people of any family don't do double baptisms unless the parents worship two different Lords. I was just baptized under Lord Hiei because of this little technique I picked up." Justin slowly unfolded his hand while staring at it a bit to force his palm to get incredibly red and hot from the heat he was picking up. He reached over and touched Scarlet's hand causing her to jerk her hand back quickly with a yelp at how hot he got his hand.

"Damn, that hurt!" Scarlet complained, holding her warmed hand, which was now turning a slight red from the burning sensation Justin gave it. Andrea seemed to look at the high priest with a shake of her head to show her disapproval in the matter though Scarlet was still intrigued on how he managed to create such heat in his palm. "How did you do that?"

"Sorry," he apologized to the both of them. "I don't know to tell you the truth. It has been something I've been able to do since I was nine. I got mad at somebody at school and apparently concentrating on my fists caused them to turn into extreme heat." He relaxed his hand to the point he could get the color and normal feeling back into it. "I've been told it might be possible for me to actually create flames at some point, but I think I will wait on that moment. I prefer cooking my meals the old fashioned way."

"How is it that almost everybody I know has some sort of special talent or power?" Scarlet asked Andrea and Justin feeling kind of left out in all of it.

"Everybody has special talents and powers, Scarlet, but not everybody is in tune with them," Justin chuckled as he took a sip of the orange juice he had. "We are all essentially born the same. Some of us just aren't lucky to be raised to form the powers we are blessed with."

Scarlet tapped her fingers against the glass of milk she had. "I wonder who I could ask to get my powers out."

"You could ask the wind Lord," Andrea suggested, finishing her eggs finally to start working on her bacon. She had a nasty habit of picking apart the bacon one piece at a time to put in her mouth. "Or you could as the ice Lord. Either one I am sure would be willing to help you become spiritually in tune with whatever powers you have."

Justin looked at the book Scarlet had with her as the two ladies were conversing. "Mm, I see you are looking into rituals." He reached over and took the book into his possession, turning it open to the page marked. His eyes widened a moment remembering that ritual. "I see you are thinking of the virgin ritual." Justin rested his chin upon the back of his hand, eyeing Scarlet. "Who with?"

Scarlet blushed slightly faking a brief smile as she brought her hands to her lap. "Umm, with Jin…" Andrea and Justin both seemed to drop their utensils and stare at her with disbelief. "What? Why are you looking at me that way? Is that a bad idea?"

"Scarlet," Andrea began rather breathlessly, "do you have any idea how addictive a demon can become upon them just taking you for the first time?"

"Being a virgin will make it worse," Justin intervened. "It is written that a demon's release is the most addictive thing ever." The high priest was quiet for a moment as he looked around to make sure nobody was listening in. "Do you remember Silvia from that place you worked at who caused the situation we are in? Lord Shishi was known to do her ritual. At that moment she became obsessed with pleasing him to the point she became so dark in her practices, thinking the Lord of Death would like that, that she could no longer see him." He could see Scarlet looking worried. "I don't mean to scare you, but Silvia went to great lengths to try and see him again with lustful intentions and caused all of what is going on now!"

Scarlet put her utensils down for a moment. "Maybe…I need to talk to Touya about this." She took the book back from Justin, nodding at the two. "Thanks for the warning. I will see you two around." Hurrying out of the Dinning Hall, Scarlet made it quickly to her bedroom. She made sure that her door was locked before hurrying over to her bed to kneel before it. She brought her hands together to bring to her forehead. _Touya, I need to talk to you right now. Please, please, I need to speak to you…!_

A chill raking through the wind currents suddenly traveling through her bedroom, she continued to plead to the ice master before his icy hand snapped her out of her praying trance. "You need me for something?" The narrow eyes of the ice demon looked Scarlet over before spying the book in her hand. "Ah, I see you read up on that ritual. Do we have a problem?"

"Why didn't somebody tell me that Silvia was driven mad by being taken by her own demon 'father'?" Scarlet demanded to know through her clinched teeth as she was tired of going up and down on this ritual rollercoaster.

"Because plain and simple, it wasn't anybody else's business," Touya said as he sat down upon her bed.

"Touya!" Scarlet exclaimed angrily. "She caused this huge mess because she wanted to please him and see him again just for sex! She was an insane addict!" She wanted to attack the demon out of anger for just ignoring what caused the situation.

Touya twisted his mouth to the side humming in thought. "Are you worried that you're going to become the next Silvia?" He witnessed Scarlet hesitantly nod. "Scarlet," he began with a sigh, "humans are essentially weak when it comes to temptation. Now, I am not going to sit here and tell you that once you are opened and filled by the wind master that you're not going to be addicted as much as she was; however, I have done this to one of my own worshippers, and she manages to handle her temptations to a degree. I can tell you this much, she does it better than Silvia did."

"Wait, I thought you said nobody could handle your release," Scarlet said.

"Some choose to put up with it and some choose not to," Touya answered. "Jessica was able to get used to it after awhile of convulsing from the cold soaking into her body. It is a dangerous thing to try unless you're that devoted."

Scarlet moaned in misery as she sat down next to Touya. "What am I going to do? I told Jin I was up to this, and now I am not so sure."

"If you want, Jin can wear the one thing in the world he hates," the ice master suggested.

"What is that?"

"A condom. Jin doesn't like to do that, but I am sure I can explain to him why." Touya pushed himself up off of the side of the bed to make it over to the center of the room to look at the candles there about the pillar. "If you asked him, he would surely say 'no' to it, so I will speak to him about it."

"I don't know," said Scarlet while placing her head in her hands. "I don't want to make him do something he doesn't want to." She began to bite at her nails nervously. "Are you sure that I will be fine after this ritual?"

"I can't promise you anything." Touya unfolded his hand before the unlit candles to blow his icy breath over them, prompting the wick to quickly light in the icy, blue flame representing his temple. "I will say this though, if you do become addictive, you better be careful when dreaming. Jin will be coming a lot more often to you to energy feed, and your spirit energy is still pretty low for a human's."

"Guh, will people stop telling me that!" Scarlet grumbled, grabbing her hair. "I am well aware of that now!"

Touya raised his hands up to defend against her verbal attack. "So do you want to risk it? I can go talk to him right now about it all if you want me to."

Scarlet waved her hands about as if to dismiss the idea entirely. "No, just—I will go through with it without him being forced to wear that if he wants."

"Alright then. If that was all you needed, I will be on my way." The ice master stood there with his arms crossed, disappearing in a blink of an eye thanks to his speed no human could follow. Touya soon found himself before Jin's bedroom door knowing the wind master was behind there with the energy signature he could sense from the demon. He knocked upon the door. "Jin, I need to talk to you."

Jin looked over at Rachael from where he was sitting at his desk to see the high priestess was still sleeping off the medication going through her body. "Come in, Touya." The door opened and presented the ice master before Jin. He smiled a moment at him before looking back down at the papers in his possession. As a demon 'God', he got a lot of letters that sufficed as prayers or love notes to him that he read whenever he didn't have to be anywhere. It was a way for him to pass time.

"So, Scarlet has a concern now about that ritual," Touya began as he made his way over to Jin.

"I already told her everything was going to be fine," Jin assured the ice master. "You don't have to worry your pretty little head about it, Touya. Everything is going to be alright with that ritual."

Touya squinted his eyes at Jin's remark, resting his palm upon the desk. "My 'pretty little head' is just fine, thanks. I was talking about the addiction problem she just found out about somehow." He saw the concern finally engulf Jin's expression. "Mm hmm, and now she is worried about being the next Silvia."

Jin tapped his fingers upon the papers upon his desk. "Did you talk to her about it any?"

"Of course I did, you nut," said Touya with a shake of his head. "But how am I supposed to calm her down with something we can't really control. And do not tell me you are going to make the most of this situation by stealing her energy when yours gets low. You know she doesn't have that much spirit energy to begin with being a depressed human."

"Well, damn then, you just exhausted all my resources," Jin said as a joke. "Then we'll just have to get her spirit up to speed of a normal human's then won't we?" He turned his attention back to the papers lining his desk to start reading them some more. "I will have a schedule for her to follow to do so. Don't worry. I can get her back in shape."


	23. Chapter 23

_**Author's Notes**_: Whoo, sorry about that. I am so tired lately and such a lazy ass that I take a lot longer to write things than I should. X3x Sorry about that. And thanks for the kind reviews and PMs. I am so sorry that I am slow to responding to some of them. Know that I appreciate them.

--

Scarlet was worried for herself thinking on how obsessed Silvia appeared when it came to getting any of the demon's attention. She found it difficult trying to find comfort in going through with the ritual and then going throughout her life not even considering it. The wind within the temple blew gently within her bedroom, brushing her photo album upon her vanity open. Hearing her album open up brought Scarlet's attention to it as she pulled herself from her bed. She saw that the photo album had been opened to photos taken of her earlier years when she was just born.

Sighing softly, she pulled one of the images out of her mother still being nursed back to health when she had slight complications with the birth of Scarlet. She was taken care of within the temple and helped back to full health within four weeks time. As Scarlet looked through some of the images, she noticed odd smears of white light within some of them making her wonder if it was on the image or within it, rubbing her finger against the marks to have them not budge. "What is that?"

The wind currents blowing behind her now teased her hair before a hand reached out to touch her shoulder gently. It lightly startled her, so it didn't bother the wind master that much upon her jumping when he stepped into her sight. He looked from Scarlet to the photos in her hands to find her rubbing over a spirit being caught within the photo. "Mm, they caught Touya's spirit energy there in that one."

Scarlet raised her brow at him and scrunched up her nose confused. "What?"

Jin pointed at the spot she was trying to get out of the image. "That is Touya's spirit energy. Spirits don't like their physical appearance being caught, so more than likely they revert to their spiritual energy form. In this case, Touya was probably watching over your mother closely and left the spirit mark that was caught in this photo. Something must have happened to her to have his energy appear on camera."

Eyeing the photo once more, she sighed at being told the story before and feeling bad for it all even though she was just a baby who couldn't help anything that happened. "She nearly died giving birth to me," Scarlet admitted somberly, putting the photo back in the album. "When I came out, she didn't stop bleeding and almost died from blood loss."

"Ya'ouch," Jin remarked with a slight wince. "At least she managed to stay with you for 16 years. I am sure she considered herself blessed in that aspect."

Scarlet sighed through his nostrils, closing the album. "Are you here to discuss the ritual?"

"To a degree, yes." The wind master made his way over to the chair within her bedroom space to sit down for the time being. He leaned back with his legs apart, rocking slightly as he eyed Scarlet. "Seeing as you're mentally and physically sick, I am going to help you change that, so when I do open you for that ceremony, you won't be too weak to take."

The young woman merely scrunched up her face wondering what he meant. "Pardon?" Her tone insisted that she was insulted.

"I am going to take you to the local hospital," Jin announced, pointing directly at her for a second as he leaned forward on his legs. "They are going to check you out and prescribe something for you to take to lighten your mood."

"Physiatrists prescribe medications that you're thinking of, Jin, not really doctors," Scarlet felt need to remind him as she sat down upon the chair at her vanity.

"I know of a doctor at the Lakeside Hospital who is both," the wind master explained intertwining his fingers. "He was raised here in the temple when his father died and was taken away from his mother who was a substance abuser. He is well trained in both areas. While he rarely sees patients he doesn't have appointments with a week in advance, I am sure he will make an exception for me."

"Jin, I don't have to go to some doctor, physiatrist," Scarlet began defensively as she rolled the palms of her hands upon her thighs. "I avoided that since my mother was lying in her sick bed and my depression was diagnosed." She could see the wind master eyeing her oddly as if to try and figure something out about her that Scarlet, once again, wanted left alone. "I don't need some whack job telling me stuff I already know and prescribe me something that will just fuck me up more." When Jin continued to eye her, she stomped her foot down angrily. "_**What!**_" She demanded to know what it was he was trying to find already.

Jin was silent for a moment before parting his lips to say something. "You were mishandled before." He witnessed as she waved his words off as she wanted to continue to hide it. "You went to a physiatrist when you were younger, and you were misdiagnosed—." He paused for a moment, shaking his head at his choice of words. "—no, you were given a bad medical subscription." Jin leaned back in the chair once more, crossing his arms over his chest and his leg over the other. He squinted one of his eyes as if to continue figuring her out while his elfin ears twitched to some of the spirits whispering to him. "Mm, you stopped taking it after awhile and that really screwed you over, didn't it?"

"Stop it! Just stop it, okay!" Scarlet demanded, rolling her hands over her head. Her bi-colored hair leaking through her fingers, she sniffled a bit having to be reminded of that. "He was an idiot doctor who didn't know what he was doing, and my mother wanted me to go, so I went every day she asked me to." She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "He gave me this medicine that was supposed to make me better, but it instead made my appetite go down to nothing. When I stopped taking it was the day my mother died. I flushed those pills entirely down the drain, and it caused me to stop eating completely." Scarlet remembered how eager she was to get rid of them one night. "My step-dad made me go to another one, probably because he needed me to stay around to get some sort of income for the house as he wasn't going to do it." She turned to the wind master, looking angrily at him through her tears. "I got myself better even if I was prescribed new medication. I stopped taking those pills and stopped going to physiatrists after all of that."

"But look what it has done to you," Jin felt need to say as he pointed at her fragile form. "You hardly sleep, you have no energy, your spirit sings more often than any living persons' I have ever known…Scarlet, you may think you're alive, but you're not. I, as a demon, have more of a pulse than you do right now." He watched as Scarlet turned away from him, not wanting to hear what was being told to her. "Inside and out, you are killing yourself. You are so far gone, that was why you cut yourself to let you know that you're still physically alive and here."

"Shut up!" Scarlet screamed wanting to be spared any truth about her situation whatsoever.

Jin got up to his feet and made his way over to the angered human. He grabbed onto her wrists to force her hands away from her ears so that for once, she would listen to him. "Scarlet, I am sorry, but you need help. You need to accept help." When she refused to settle down, the wind master used his strength to keep her steady, wrapping his left arm over her front to keep her steady while he stroked the top of her head in attempts to calm her. "I can contact him today for the sake of getting you back into shape within a month's time. Then we will try the ceremony."

Scarlet couldn't hold back any longer forcing her to cave under him. Turning around, she embraced the wind master tightly, burying her face within his chest. It was as good an answer as ever that she could give at the moment.

Sighing softly through his nostrils, Jin placed his chin upon Scarlet's hair. "Why don't you lie down and rest while I call him? I am sure you could use it for now?" He didn't hear a response out of Scarlet as she was still very upset at having the truth poured upon her. With her being so weak, the wind master knew it was wise that she not waste her energy on crying and that she no doubt wouldn't listen to him about sleep. He pulled her back gently from his embrace to place his hand upon her forehead. Scarlet stared at him confusingly. A blast of energy enveloped the young woman's form causing her to grow tired quickly as she closed her eyes and nearly fell to the ground. Jin was quick enough to grab her to help Scarlet over to the bed. Jin pulled the covers up over Scarlet, tucking her in for the morning so she could rest off her feelings. He sighed, getting to his feet and heading out into the hallway.

Justin was on his way to his bedroom though he had his nose buried into one of his books he had next on his list. Feeling the wind demon's energy up ahead, he looked up from over the rim of his glasses to see the wind master. "My Lord," Justin began, removing his reading glasses before bowing down before the wind demon. "How are you fairing?"

Jin managed to smile at the high priest. "Justin, can you do me a favor? I need you to call Lakeside Hospital and get in contact with a Doctor Donavon Ross. I would call but not everybody at that hospital is open to this realm, so I will be unheard."

"Of course." The high priest dug into his robe's right pocket to pull out his cell phone. Cell phones rarely worked within temples or in certain areas given the high spiritual activity that most times short-circuited them, but Justin was willing to try. He shook his hair to get it out of the way of his ear, placing the cellular phone there to hear it was ringing for once.

The Lakeside Hospital's phone rang alerting one of the front desk receptionists. "Lakeside Hospital, this is Sally McGuire speaking; how may I direct your call?"

"Hello, Sally, I was wondering if you could get me in contact with a Dr. Donovan Ross," Justin asked, closing the book in his possession after marking where he left off. He could tell she was becoming hesitant to do so after a few seconds of silence with how highly revered the doctor must have been. "Tell him I am calling from the Wind Temple, and it is within his best interest that he answers."

"Alright, hold for just one moment, please," Sally insisted as she put Justin on hold before paging Donovan to the front desk. The doctor came around the corner upon him being paged. Donovan was in his mid to late thirties it appeared with auburn colored hair that was slightly wavy. Freckles dotted his fair skin and glasses rested across his nose. "Dr. Ross, somebody is calling you from the Wind Temple," said Sally as she offered the phone to him.

Donovan knew that the only time somebody called from the temple, it was Jin trying to get a hold of him. "I will take it in my room," Donovan insisted knowing it probably was to be a private conversation. "Thank you." He kept the papers of some of his recent patients under his arms as he headed to the third floor where the doctor and nurses' rooms were located. The medical staff pretty much lived there; especially the often assigned third shift. He closed the door to room 317, making it over to his desk to accept the phone call. "Dr. Donovan Ross, can I help you?"

Justin handed the phone over to Jin at that moment. Jin accepted it and brought it up to his pointed ear. "Don, it is me, Jin."

"Jin, is everything okay?" Donovan asked right away as he arranged some of the papers sloppily placed on his desk.

"Donnie, I have a favor to ask of you," Jin pleaded over the phone. "I have to perform a ritual on this young woman in my temple, but she is spiritually and physically weak because of her depression she doesn't have treatment for. I cannot perform this without her being decent in strength."

"What is her name?" Donovan wondered. "If she was ever administered at this hospital for any aliment, I can look up her papers."

"Scarlet Baker—she has blond and black streaked hair and gray-green eyes. She'll be 25 soon to my knowledge."

Donovan grabbed his pen and pad of paper to write down neatly the name given to him as he held the phone against his ear with his shoulder and cheek. "Alright, I will see if I can find her papers here. How soon do you want me to see her?"

"When is the earliest you can do so?"

"I have three patients in my care right now," Donovan explained with a subtle sigh through his nostrils. "Two are in intensive care and the other is about to be released. If you want, I can see her for an hour at three today."

"That would be great," Jin said with relief. "Thank you, Donovan. We will see you at three then. Bye." The wind master hung up the cell phone, handing it back over to Justin. "I was worried he wouldn't be able to see her with the demonic attacks being so frequent on people. I can only imagine how difficult it is for them at the hospital with this going on."

Justin accepted his cell phone back, pocketing it back within his robe. "The attacks have been frequent, my Lord. Some of the high priests and priestesses are working on keeping the barrier up about the temple as you requested earlier." He hesitated in continuing not wishing to worry or burden the wind master further. "But…but, my Lord, the attacks are _**too**_ strong." Jin turned to Justin with his brow raised in wonder. "The demons get stronger every passing hour. One of our priestesses fell from a brutal, unseen attacker with razor sharp claws."

The high priest recalled being there as the elder priestess kept her hands up to pray to the higher, demonic power for strength to keep the wind barrier up only to suddenly be slashed apart by an unseen demonic force. She tried to fight against it though ended up screaming in pain as her blood splattered against the walls. Upon her falling, she was removed quickly and taken to the infirmary wing only to die seconds upon arrival. Her flesh was torn brutally from her body, causing some of her organs to be visible.

Jin sighed, shaking his head at having to be told this. He was unable to focus on the other worshippers when he was tending to Rachael. "I am losing too many of my reliable humans," he grumbled, rolling his palms over his face. "Soon I won't be able to energy feed, and I won't be able to protect those within my temple."

"Father, why don't you just open those who are closed at mind?" Justin suggested.

"I can't. Some still believe I am some Godly figure." Jin grumbled at the thought, wishing facts didn't get so screwed up over time. "If they find me to be a demon, they will leave the temple."

Justin furrowed his brow in worry. "With all do respect, sir, what good are they if they don't listen to you as is?"

Jin shook his head at Justin's remark knowing that the high priest was right, but he needed some bodies to remain so that he could disguise himself during dream walks to take the energy he needed. "As tempting as that offer is, Justin, I'll have to decline the thought. I can change my form into whatever it is they desire to see to get what I need."

"But I am sure that is not your only concern at the moment, is it?" The high priest crossed his arms over his chest, keeping the book in his arms against his chest.

"If all of my open-minded worshippers die, I will be left with nobody I can speak to," Jin clarified as he massaged the area in between his eyes. "I cannot control a closed-minded flock. Anyways, I best watch over the others on guard duty. I cannot afford anymore to fall." With that said, Jin took off down the hallway to the room where the high priests and priestesses would gather to keep the wind barrier up if ever it was needed.

--

A few hours later, Scarlet was awakened and found herself standing before the glooming looking hospital of Lakeside. A storm was brewing, casting a dark shadow over the town. It made the out look of the hospital less appealing, prompting Scarlet to back up nervously. "I don't want to go in there…"

Jin shifted his elfin ears slightly at her words, shaking his head a bit at her fear of the place. "It is just a building, Scarlet. It isn't going to bite you or anything." He watched as she tried to hide behind him like a little child. "Come on. Donovan is waiting for you." Taking her hand into his own, he helped her through the front doors and into the hospital.

The place smelled of strange and irritable scents. For Jin, he could taste some of the human blood upon his tongue every time he breathed. Voices could be heard paging certain doctors every now and again over the intercoms. The hospital was apparently very busy.

Forced through the front doors, Scarlet made her way up to the check-in desk rather nervously with her palm resting against the cold wall. She couldn't help but look over at Jin rather confused, not sure what to do. The wind master ushered her forwards quickly. "Stop it!" She demanded in a low hiss, struggling away from Jin.

"Go ahead and tell them you're looking for a Dr. Ross," Jin insisted eagerly.

Horrible whispers hissed about the hospital, drowning out the regular conversations being held by those around her. Wicked laughter caused her skin to crawl. The images of the damned began to flash before her eyes. The walls that were once so clean rusted over with blood. Heavy, labored breathing made Scarlet back up quickly, running into Jin. She looked up at him pleadingly. "Make it stop…!"

"I cannot," said Jin simply as he pushed Scarlet behind him. "It is best just to let it pass."

Scarlet closed here eyes tightly, covering her ears to drown out the horrible, labored breathing she could hear echoing down the halls. Just as the sounds were reaching their peak, Scarlet opened her eyes quickly to find everything back to normal. She brought her hands down slowly from her ears, looking around nervously to make sure the damned were gone.

"Are you alright?" A young nurse asked, leaning forward to check on the frightened Scarlet. The sound of her voice obviously startled her making the woman feel a bit bad for doing so. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to frighten you. Can I help you?"

"Umm," Scarlet struggled to find the words wanting to just turn around and leave the hospital, but she knew Jin wouldn't let her. "I am looking for a Dr. Ross. I have an appointment with him at three this afternoon."

The nurse clad in the usual white attire checked her watch upon her wrist before smiling tenderly at Scarlet. "Well then, he must be expecting you. Come with me."

Scarlet followed behind the nurse carefully down the many halls of the hospital. Doors were on every side of the sanatorium, leading to many places of importance. She spotted gurneys just about everywhere—some were lined with a fair amount of blood. They came upon the end of the hallway, stopping at room number 129. Scarlet waited for the nurse to open the door only to be frightened by the sounds of agonizing screams coming from beyond the walls. "What…what is that?"

The nurse seemed a bit leery to answer that question as she pushed the squeaky door open. "Those are more…intensive patients we have. They need a lot of special care…" She cleared her throat and escorted Scarlet inside of the small room so Dr. Ross could have a look at her later. "Just wait here. Dr. Ross will be along shortly."

Jin snuck inside of the room as well, allowing the nurse to leave upon stepping out of her way. He placed his hands behind his back, making his way over towards the certificates Donovan had received for completing his medical training. "Such a clever boy, that," he remarked, placing down one of the picture frame he had in his possession. "With all that went on in his life, he still managed to find the strength to make this dreary town a bit better."

"He sounds like he means a lot to you," Scarlet mumbled with a raise of her brow, trying to show she didn't really care though she couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy.

Jin caught her tone and couldn't help but chuckle softly within his throat. "A good many of my worshippers mean a great deal to me. With Donovan, he had many chances of giving up and just wasting away to let me claim him, but he never gave up." The wind master granted her a smile as he rested against the opposite wall with his hands over his chest. "It is a reason I chose him to treat you. You have a few things in common."

Before Scarlet could speak, the door opened and Donovan made his appearance with a clipboard in his hands. He caught the wind master out of the corner of his eye prompting him to look over towards the demon. "Jin, you are here." Donovan smiled as he opened his arms to embrace him like a brother. "It is good to see you again, my friend."

"You act as though it has been ages when I come here to check on any patient that is under my care," Jin chortled. Whenever any of the worshippers of Jin came to the Lakeside Hospital and were near death or dying, Jin came to check upon them. It caused Donovan and Jin to see one another a fair amount until recently when most of the worshippers were too frightened to leave the temple or their homes. He pulled back from the embrace to smile at the doctor before nodding over towards Scarlet. "This is the one I wanted you to look at for me."

Donovan turned around to find Scarlet sitting upon one of the chairs rather nervously. "Ah, yes, Scarlet Baker." He removed his glasses from his shirt collar, where he had them hung to place back over the slope of his nose. "I managed to find your papers, by the way." Donovan skimmed over some of the papers describing certain mental and physical ailments Scarlet was administered for. He continued to eye them as he made it over to the table he wanted Scarlet to lie on, beckoning her to sit down upon it by tapping it. "Sit up here for me."

When Scarlet hesitated upon standing before it, Jin picked her up and placed her upon the table. He could tell she was terribly nervous. "It is okay," Jin insisted, patting her side tenderly with a smile. "He's not going to hurt you."

"So you were administered here before because of depression," Donovan began as he looked through the old documents. His brown eyes caught sight of some interesting notes listed further down causing him to go silent for a moment as he gazed at the nervous woman. "Do you want Jin to be here when I ask you a few questions about why you were here previously or are you anxious about something else?"

"All of the above…," Scarlet answered quietly as she gazed down at her feet.

Donovan looked up at the wind master with a slight shrug. "Would you mind leaving the room for a few minutes? I hate to ask that of you, my Lord, but part of this is confidential."

Jin didn't appear as though he wished to leave though he thought on it. He blew his bangs out of his face upon deciding. "Alright, I will leave." The wind demon patted Donovan on the shoulder before pocketing his hands to exit the room. "I am just stepping outside, now."

The young doctor waited for the demon to leave before turning to Scarlet. "So you were administered before in the psychiatry section of the hospital." He witnessed as she looked away. Donovan sighed as he situated his glasses once more upon his nose, running through the notes. "Cutting, biting, not eating--." Here he looked up at her. "They had to lock you up in a padded room because of this."

Scarlet remembered being first administrated against her will upon her mother's death. She fought against the nurses and doctors when they thought it wise she stayed under their care. She clawed and bit at the staff trying to move her. Her nails were blooded as were her arms as Scarlet screamed at the nurse that was forced to tranquilize her. The sentences she yelled echoed within her mind as she came back to the present. "I was," Scarlet whispered, swallowing hard at having to remember that. "They would clip my nails down and drug me almost every time I acted out. I got to the point I couldn't fight anymore."

"Something must have really upset you to cause such a lash out," Donovan pointed out as he looked back down at her papers once more. Pulling his attention from them for a moment, he felt pulled to look at Scarlet's wrists, which were covered by her gloves. "Can I see?" He saw Scarlet act hesitant to do so. "It is alright. I won't judge you." Scarlet outstretched her hands slightly with her palms up, allowing Donovan to grab onto the silken gloves to remove them. His eyes widened at the multiple scar tissue that had formed over her wrists and arms. "Gracious," he breathed horrifically.

"My mother died," Scarlet answered, clearing her throat as her voice threatened to crack at having to think about it once more. "She was my best friend and the only person to spare me from ever being touched by that awful person who dares call himself my father…"

"I see." Donovan put the clipboard off to the side before asking Scarlet to lie down on her back. When she resisted, he eyed her somewhat in a scolding manner. "Come now. I promised Jin I would look over you, and so I shall." He got her to finally lie down at that moment.

Scarlet felt terribly uncomfortable to be back within that hospital and being touched by a strange doctor. When he was finished checking her over, she sat back upright. She could tell by the look in his eyes that it wasn't good. He seemed worried to an extent. "What is it?"

"Well, your heart beat is rather poor and you're five pounds underweight for your age and height," Donovan remarked with a sigh, jotting down what he had realized. "You need to start eating better and exercising more. What I want you to do is keep a food diary for me. I want to see what you're eating and when you're doing so. That will help me regulate your eating habits and adding things to your diet."

"A food diary?" Scarlet wondered with a wrinkle of her brow. She didn't like the sound of it from where she was sitting.

"You are going to document everything that you eat and when and how much," explained the doctor as he sat down for a moment, his hands resting in his lap. "When you come back here within a week, I will add a few things in, and I expect you to eat them. It is a good thing Jin never did that ritual on you. With your heart being so frail right now, it would stop within an instant."

Scarlet's eyes widened a bit at hearing him say that. "How much energy do they take exactly when they feed?"

"Well," Donovan began, thinking about it with a hum, "Demons have a bottomless pit for energy feeding. Depending on how much energy is being spared from them depends on how much energy they need to barrow from their worshippers." He leaned forward slightly, nodding out the window behind Scarlet. "The Ice Barrier from hell being controlled by Touya the Ice Lord is wearing the poor soul down. He is trying so hard to keep the demons from attacking the outer world and his own worshippers from assaulting one another that he is losing a great deal of energy. He has to feed from five priestesses at once. It is getting to the point he might need to turn to his priests."

"Exactly how does that work when they're not…that way…," Scarlet wondered, assuming they weren't bisexual or even gay.

"The desperation of demons would surprise you," Donovan chuckled as he clicked the pen in his hand. "They are an embodiment of sin and so they do what is regarded as sinful acts no matter what." He sighed a bit, looking over to the side with a brief smile. "Don't be too worried about your demonic fathers anyways, Scarlet. Jin and Touya have barrowed one another's energy many times from the past, so they have experience in pleasing men."

Scarlet rolled her hands over her face, shaking her head at how far they would go just to stay alive and powerful. "They do all this just for the sake of power. I cannot help but find that selfish."

Donovan looked sorrowfully at her for a moment. "Then you fail to see what they mostly use that power for." He couldn't help but disagree with Scarlet's thought of their selfishness. "Touya is trying his hardest to keep the entire world from crumbling under the malicious intent of demons. He grows weaker by the second because of all the energy he is releasing. If he falls, Kurama and or Jin have offered to take up the barrier in his place. Because demons take the same sex's energy by sexual means doesn't mean anything other than the fact they are desperate to replenish their spirit energy."

"Jin did it to you once too, didn't he?" She felt in his voice that Donovan was speaking from experience making her wonder if the wind master truly did.

He removed his glasses upon her question. "Yes, he did." Taking his shirt, he rubbed the lens carefully to remove an annoying spot upon them. "I found it to be uncomfortable at first, but he assured me that it was just to save his energy level and himself, or he would surely die."

Scarlet rubbed her hands nervously, rolling her legs back and forth a bit to try and keep feeling in them as her body was getting tired of sitting. "What happened to cause him to spend so much energy then?"

"There was a demon attack on Wind Knoll fifteen years ago, and Jin was forced to put a barrier around the temples in the town to save the worshippers from incoming demons while the others fought them off. He was in a trance for months," Donovan explained, placing his eyeglasses back on. "High priests and priestesses tried to offer up their energy to him but the only way he could truly benefit was by sexual contact, so whenever people slept in his temple, he would walk into their dreams and take their energy. I was one of them."

"I don't remember that attack," Scarlet answered honestly. "Of course, it was long ago, and I must admit that I have a hard time remembering things from fifteen years ago."

Donovan could only smile at her words. "You're lucky then. Some of my memories I often wish I could forget about." Checking the time, the young man sighed. "Sorry that I couldn't get too far with today's session, but I am sure I can next week. If you want, I can arrange another meeting for next Monday at three. How does that sound?"

Scarlet shrugged as she slid to her feet. "I don't have anything else to do, and Jin wants me to get better. He is pretty much demanding it." She made her way towards the door, wanting to leave the hospital quickly as the place seemed to continuously torment her. "The ice master isn't any better about it."

"Then you should be so lucky as to have so many people care for you compared to what you had after your mother's death." Donovan saw Scarlet recoil her hand from the doorknob for a second upon hearing his words. He looked away from her at that moment to eye the papers still in his hands that he was jotting upon. "Take care till then, Scarlet."

Jin remained outside in the hallway with his back against the cold wall. He watched as some of the nurses and doctors passed by him, not noticing him at all though some walking by were so lucky as to see him. He watched as one of the nurses trying to talk to a family kept looking his way. With him draining some of the energy in the room, the temperature was obviously lower than usual. Jin could see the woman's breath on the air. He could tell she was a bit nervous upon seeing the demon. _Don't be scared_, he whispered to her within her mind. _I am not going to hurt you_.

When the family finally left, the nurse bid them farewell though looked nervously back over at the wind master still staring at her. Even though the demon granted her a tender smile, she still couldn't help but hurry away down the hall. Scarlet managed to open the door just in time to witness the woman frantically leave the area.

"What is wrong? What did you do?" Scarlet asked in a whisper knowing not everybody could see him.

The wind master looked down at her with a brief chuckle. "Nothing. The woman is open to me. She opened her mind to me unknowingly." He pushed off of the wall with a grunt. "It is rare humans do that by themselves without the temple's guide, but I guess with the happening of recent events, the humans are forcing their minds open to stay alive a bit longer." Jin clapped his hands together. "So, are you finished for the day?" Before Scarlet could answer, Jin hissed and grabbed the sides of his head looking as though he were in immense pain.

"J-Jin, what is the matter!" Scarlet wondered, grabbing onto him to try and shake him back to his senses. The wind master seemed unable to answer. Whatever it was that was attacking him was drowning out her voice making Scarlet shake him harder. "Jin! Jin, what is it!"

Jin looked up through his wild, red bangs almost looking livid and in a trance at the same time. He curled his lip like a wild animal to show off his demon fangs while growling. Scarlet felt some relief in the fact he was staring beyond her and not directly at her. "I-I've got to **GO**!" He hissed as he hurried for the exit. "Go back to the temple and stay there." When he saw Scarlet about to question him, he threw his fist off to the side angrily. "Do as I say!" The wind master didn't have time to say anything else as he made haste out of the hospital.

Upon stepping outside, Jin gathered his wind to take flight quickly. He could hear desperate calls from Touya being flooded out by the evil demons now crawling about the town. On his way to the Ice Temple, he saw a white figure running down below, almost covered in the mist. Flying down a little lower, Jin heard the high pitched cry of the fox demon in his silver fox form. Kurama had obviously heard the cries for help and was eager to go to Touya's aid as well.

Feeling something above him, Kurama looked up at Jin with his deep, red eyes with his paws beating against the cold, cracked cement. _They are attacking Touya's temple_, he said mentally to Jin. _You heard his cries too. They are converging upon the Ice Temple, because its barriers are damaged. Touya is weakened. If they break through, they will kill him._

The front doors of the Ice Temple were being banged upon ruthlessly. Touya remained in front of the chair that was to be his throne in the temple, his hands stretched upward with his palms out to try in desperation to keep the ice barrier about the town and now about his temple. Some of the high priests and priestesses were at the door with their palms facing towards the entrance in attempts to aid the ice demon in his eagerness to keep the coming demons out with the powers they too were awakened to with his aid. With every loud bang upon the door, Touya flinched as though his very soul was being beat against. The female worshippers that could see him were surrounding him and placing their hands upon his body in weak attempts to give their energy to him.

Another harsh bang of the doors caused part of it to break and one of the high priests to suddenly fall to his knees when his torso was torn in half. His body there in pieces and blood marrying the floor, some of those a witness to it screamed and panicked. "They're breaking through!" A young woman yelled.

Touya breathed heavily, nearly faltering as his knees threatened to buckle. With a shake of his head, he tried to stay up while putting forth more of his energy to keep the ice barrier strong. He ignored the women around him desperate to keep him up. Their hands were grabbing onto his clothes and their arms wrapped tightly around his thighs and ankles. Another harsh crack in the door forced another follower to fall from unseen energy. It was here Touya knew the next attack would bring him down.

Everything at that moment onward was slowed in motion to him. All he could hear was his own breathing while everything else was silent. He was sweating profusely. _I am going to die_, he thought there in that moment. _They are all going to die, because I am so weak._

At the next assault upon the door, it broke down and Touya fell down to the floor. The demons flooded into the Ice Temple, hacking and clawing away at the worshippers there within the room. The high priests and priestesses still alive raised their own ice barriers around their form to absorb any attacks placed upon their soul while trying to kill off the lower demons in attempts to defend their master.

Touya was too weak to get up from where he was lying though he watched in horror and dismay as some of his worshippers were slaughtered and fed upon. He closed his eyes not wishing to be a witness to his failure. A shadow of one of the demons covered his form as the disfigured beast closed in on the fallen ice demon. With a sickening twist of its head covered in mostly burnt and blooded flesh, it reared its claws back in attempts to come down to destroy Touya's body only to be blasted back by Jin's hurricane wind.

At the broken entrance, Jin landed quickly to his feet, using his wind powers upon the demons to destroy their bodies in the massive currents. Kurama transformed back into his human like appearance with red hair. On his hands, he pushed himself into a front flip to land upon his feet to beckon the powers of nature to come forth through the floors to bind the demons into place with their roots. He stood there with his palms upward and his fingers bent to force the plants tainted in evil to beckon to his call. When he heard one of the humans fall dead upon the floor, Kurama snapped his head in Jin's direction. "Shield the humans!"

Jin was hesitant to do so at first as they only had two hands there to keep the attack under control and he knew they both couldn't be on the defensive. Sighing through his nostrils, he waved at the worshippers. "To the walls! Get over to the walls!" He demanded. When the ice worshippers ran over to the walls, Jin created his wind barrier about the pillars lining the temple a few feet from the ramparts.

One of the demons bound by Kurama's plants couldn't help but laugh evilly at their attempts to save their friend. "You cannot keep us bound here no matter how hard you traitors try." His voice sounded as though he were talking through blood within his mouth at how often he gurgled. "Even if each of you tries to keep the barrier up and save your pathetic humans, we will eat away at this town little by little till there is nothing left."

Kurama headed over towards the demon bold enough to speak up on such a subject. His fingers placed together, he allowed the weeds of one of his plant to wrap about his wrist to create a sharp dagger, which he placed against the demon's rotted neck. "And we can try to stop you every step of the way." With that said, he slit the demon's throat causing his head to roll from his body, which soon fell to the ground. With a clutch of his fist, Kurama brought it close to his chest to cause the thorn vines to cut the demons' bodies into pieces.

Jin hurried over towards Touya at that point. He picked the drained ice demon up in his arms. "Touya?" He called softly, shaking his friend. The ice master's eyes were closed and his body limp. "Touya, are you okay?"

After the demons had been taken care of, Kurama hurried over towards Touya to kneel down beside him. He could tell that the ice demon was nearly drained completely. "He is on the brink of death. We've got to get him energy now." Kurama also thought about the barrier now demolished that once protected the town. "I have to take up the barrier. Jin, I am counting on you to get the energy he needs to stay alive as well as watch over things here till he's back on his feet."

"No, please," a young woman beckoned from behind the barrier. With her voice carrying upon the wind, Jin released the wind barrier with all of the demons destroyed. The brunette priestess hurried over towards her Ice Lord. "The Wind Lord has done enough for us. He cannot possibly handle both jobs granted him with his own followers waiting for him back at his temple."

Kurama closed his eyes a moment to listen to the whispering spirits around him before opening them again. "Lady Jessie, what else can we do? We cannot have Touya here unguarded. If we do that, the demons will just come back to kill him while he sleeps."

The high priestess placed her hand upon Touya's chest looking with worry upon his exhausted body. "Then have the Wind Lord give him back some of his energy, and I will take over in his place until he is back on his feet with the other high priests and priestesses."

Jin looked up at Kurama with a slight shrug. "She has a point. I cannot watch over both temples. If you want, I can get Suzuka down here to guard the front doors until everything is rebuilt and Touya is back on his feet. He may not be strong, but he has enough power to keep the lower levels at bay."

"Then we'll do that," Kurama agreed with a nod. "Lady Jessie, gather the injured with your friends and take them to the infirmary. I will use what powers I can to barricade the door until they are fixed." He watched as some of them were too scared to move. "Quickly now! I have to get back to my temple and conjure up the barrier to keep the demons from spreading!"

Jin picked up Touya within his arms and hurried to the ice master's bedroom. Rushing down the halls, Jin made it to his chilly room. Kicking the door open, he placed Touya down on his bed covers. "Hold on, Touya," he whispered, cupping the ice master's cheeks in his hands. "I won't let you fall."


	24. Chapter 24

_**Author's Notes**_: Sorry about that. :x I got addicted to WOW again no thanks to expansion, but the thrill left for awhile no thanks to competition and annoying guildies with another annoying grind through 10 more levels. I might push it aside for a little bit to get some writing and stuff done.

**Be warned that there is some male/male action on this one. Sex scene is removed and heavily edited and can be seen unedited on MediaMiner.  
**

So enjoy!

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Touya's spirit lied naked within the darkness of his own mind. It fought to remain where it was though the gates of judgment threatened to call him back. Upon his side with his knees scrunched and his arms slack to the side, he felt his bi-colored hair rustle about from a gentle, comforting breeze. He moaned quietly. _**"I am not ready,"**_ he muttered wearily to himself, fearing that the spirits from above would try to bring him back to Koenma. _**"I am not ready to go back…"**_

"…_**ouya…Touya…,"**_ the ice demon vaguely could hear as his hearing came and went. _**"Touya!" **_The ice master managed to open his eyes to attempt to focus the blurry image before him. The wild red hair soon becoming recognizable, he managed a weary smile.

"_**Jin,"**_ he sighed in reprieve. _**"I thought you were one of Koenma's messengers…I am relieved."**_ Touya closed his eyes then and threatened to go back to sleep eternally.

"_**No, no, no!"**_ Jin exclaimed as he grabbed onto the ice demon's face to slap him awake with the back of his hand. _**"You have to stay awake! If you fall asleep, you'll be taken back to be judged."**_

The narrow eyes of the ice demon opened slowly once more to look at Jin with a shake of his head, pain almost seen within his icy orbs. _**"I want to stay, but a part of me feels too ashamed to go back. I tried to protect the people that entrusted their lives to me, and I failed them."**_ He inhaled a shaky breath, clutching his hands tightly for a moment. _**"I never felt so weak before."**_

"_**Touya, you were giving off so much energy to protect the entire world and the town's people." **_The wind master knelt down beside the ice master's body. _**"They understand that you were in a weakened state and couldn't give out enough against the demons that assaulted you."**_ His hands held onto the cold demon's face to massage his cheeks tenderly. _**"I am here to revive your energy and spirit."**_ Jin inched closer to Touya's face at that moment only to find the ice shinobi to pull hesitantly away. _**"I know it has been awhile since you've been forced to be with me, but I am your last option right now. Your followers are too scared and weak from the attack to perform this safely and correctly."**_

The fellow demon knew that Jin was right. Touya managed a nod to his partner, allowing the wind master to kiss him tenderly upon the lips. The kiss lingering for a moment, he kept his eyes closed to find the taste enjoyable as he reopened his eyes to find the kiss had ended. "_**It has been awhile since I have felt that kiss**_," he whispered with a brief smile.

Jin rolled his teeth over his lower lip with a playful grin. The time the two were in solitude in darkness in the shinobi sect, they often fell into one another's company for personal comfort being deprived of decent partners. _**"I guess you'd like me to continue then?"**_ Cupping the back of the ice demon's head, Jin kissed Touya deeper, rolling his tongue into the mouth of the ice shinobi.

Moaning against the deep kissing, Touya eventually pulled from Jin's lips to arch his back slightly. It was as if he were fighting against the sexual ritual even if he knew it would save him. Breathing heavily from the touch, he curled his toes and tried to almost kick away from Jin.

"_**Why are you resisting me suddenly?"**_ Jin wondered as he tried to keep Touya where he was. _**"You know I wouldn't hurt you."**_

"_**I-I am sorry…I just haven't been in this position for a long while,"**_ Touya confessed as he looked at Jin from the corner of his eye with how he had his head resting to the side. _**"I never had to draw from a man before in many years now."**_

Jin twisted his mouth to the side, raising his brows at Touya's comment. _**"No wonder you were so weak then. It wouldn't have hurt to draw from even your priests."**_ Seeing Touya give him a rather annoyed stare, he couldn't help but chuckle. _**"No need to get mad now."**_ Jin moved his lips closer to Touya's ear to start whispering things in demonic that would make anybody weak in the knees. With the ice demon blushing against his words, Jin grinned.

He could feel the energy the wind master was giving to him and what he had managed to gather causing him to break from the spiritual ritual and come back to his body with a shaky inhale. His fingers clutched onto the covers of the bed beneath him as he found his soul back into his demonic form.

Jin was there, lying beside the ice demon only to wake shortly after when the spirit of the ice master left him in the spiritual plain. Finding the ice demon back in his body safely, he smiled as he turned to his side to check on Touya's outer form as well. He placed his hands upon the ice master's face to feel of his skin to find it not as chilly as it normally was. "You're a little warmer than usual," he expressed breathlessly from his session with Touya. "Let me get something to cool you down." Quickly Jin got to his feet. "Just stay here and keep the energy I have given you."

Touya watched Jin leave the room as he remained on his back to try and retain the spirit energy he had been spared. As he did so, he began to feel the earth tremble. "Wha…what is going on…?" He wondered wearily.

Upon the Wind Knoll's clock tower, Kurama stood there gathering his power before beckoning a call to the greenery to bend to his will. "Protect the outer world and those trapped within this hell," the fox demon demanded as he motioned his hands almost in a circle around one another, prompting the vines and the roots of the trees to break through the ground and create thick, thorny barriers about the boundaries of the town. Feeling enough power had gathered within his hands, he threw his hands upwards to raise the barriers higher so no man or beast could make their way over his obstruction.

The people on the streets screamed and ran from the sudden uprising of the underground roots and the rose thorn branches. The trees moaned and creaked as they were bending under the demon's control. Some of the demons about the town already tried to make their way through the new demonic barrier brought up about the human town only to find the thorns would cut like razors to those who dared touch it and the vines and roots were extra sensitive to movement, causing them to snatch up anybody who dared wander close.

"The Earth God is damning us now!" An elder woman on the streets panicked as she watched the entire event with some on the streets. "What have we been doing wrong!"

Kurama could hear the entire town crying and screaming in fear over the change in environment. With the boarders up, he lowered his arms and hopped down from the clock tower to listen to the blind sheep continue their cries of dismay. He made his way over towards the market corner, leaning against the building a bit to eavesdrop.

"The ice barrier the Ice Lord put up has come down, but now this one has appeared," a young man explained as he too looked up at the towering, intertwined roots and vines. "Why are they doing this? Why are they trapping us here?"

One of the worshippers of Hiei was in the crowd that Kurama could see. "What do you mean by that?" The teenage boy wondered almost in disgust. "We've been trapped here ever since this town was made! Your 'Gods' do nothing more but protect you from things you cannot and refuse to see!"

The fighting got even worse at that moment making Kurama worried for the fire demon follower. "What are you doing?" A feminine voice behind the fox demon asked.

Kurama snapped his head over his shoulder to find a thirty year old or so woman standing behind him with a guide dog, indicating that her glasses she was wearing were to hide her glazed over eyes. He smiled a bit at her and the golden retriever she had leading her. "I am surprised you can sense I am here." He looked up and down at the brunette with braided hair to try and gather her name from the spirits surrounding her. "I didn't mean to block you from your way, Alison Anderson."

Alison was quiet for a moment before managing a brief smile. "You're one of them," she said simply. "You're one of the creatures in this town. You're not evil like they are, though."

He raised his brow slightly having to be reminded of his darker half whenever kindness was ever brought to the surface in a conversation. "You must sense the spirit battle better than anybody in this town, Alison." Kurama leaned forwards with his hands on his knees seeing as he was a bit taller than she was. "Now is a time for you to be careful and in your home at all times or at least at a temple. Do you worship anybody in particular?"

The woman shook her head slightly as she pat her dog tenderly upon hearing her pet started to whimper and whine a bit. "My parents were never a firm believer in it all. When my mom caught me talking to spirits in my room, she would punish me with endless scriptures and pour hot water on me to be rid of the 'demons'." She paused there and couldn't help but feel some of the burns start to hurt once more. "I never talk to demons or spirits of any kind now around her whenever she comes to visit me. She will still punish me if she catches me doing so. I am surprised nobody has caught me talking to you."

"One demon came to you often," Kurama remarked as he continued to hear the whispering of the spirits about her. "Did he or she give you a name?"

"Umm," Alison tried to remember the names she was given. "I don't know. Normally it is never in a demon's nature to reveal their name. I think I heard somebody say once that his name was Suzuka or something."

"That is funny," said the redheaded fox with a smile. "I know him, and I was unaware he ever ventured into this town."

"There was a reason for that," Alison said somberly as she hesitantly reached up to remove her glasses. The sunglasses sliding off of her face, she showed claw marks that had raked across her eyes causing her to lose her sight before quickly putting them back on where they were.

Kurama inhaled sharply at the sight. "Oh my…!" He reached over towards Alison's face before she put the dark glasses back on. "That was a demon attack?"

Alison rubbed her arms almost nervously as she nodded at his question. "I was…only five years old when I got separated from my mom out on the streets. I heard something in the alleyway, so I went to investigate it. There was a demented demon from hell fighting against Suzuka, and the beast he was fighting saw me and clawed out my eyes…blinding me forever." That moment fresh within her mind now, Alison began to fight her tears. "Suzuka saved me, and he, uh, took me back to my mom. Ever since that moment he would come to me at night and try to be my guide until my mom bought me Lucky here." She began to pat the dog on the harness that was acting as her eyes. "He was with me for years until having to watch my mom burn my own body to 'cast the demons out of me'. I think he was tired of watching me suffer."

The demon's green eyes wandered over Alison's shaky form before managing a smile to her. "I am sure it was hard for him to go." He reached over to rub her right arm reassuringly. "You know, he is still within the area. He was here to fight against the floods of demons that poured into the town. He is still on guard to this moment. You know, if you want to see him more or even talk to him, you could go to Shishiwakamaru's temple. They are close friends though I am sure they would rather not be reminded."

"I cannot do that," Alison insisted with a furious shake of her head. "If my mother knew I was worshipping anything such as that…"

"Do not let your mother know," said Kurama. "Your mother doesn't need to know everything about your life. Right now, everybody needs to turn to us to stay safe. We cannot help the blind ones if they ignore us."

The woman was quiet for a moment before sniffling her sinuses clear, tilting her head to the side. "Who are you?"

He smiled at her question realizing that he didn't present her with his name. "My name is Kurama."

Alison hitched slightly in breath realizing who she was speaking to. "The Earth God." She reached her hand up to touch the fox demon's face and feel of his hair to know he was there. "I've never been spoken to by one of you before."

Kurama chuckled within his throat as he allowed her to touch his face. "I am actually a fox demon that can control plants with my energy. I am nothing special."

"I beg to differ," expressed Alison breathlessly as she pulled her hands from the 'heavenly' figure. "You created the stir just now? You are trying to save us…and nobody truly sees it as such."

The fox demon sighed, looking over his shoulder at the crowd still carrying on and debating what was going on. "They are blind to what has happened and yet you can see the truth. Some of the people here have acted without thinking and created the hell they now dwell within. I am sure if half of them even knew what was going on, they would rather save themselves than protect the world from what damage they have caused here." He sighed at that notion and nodded at Alison. "Anyways, I better get back to my temple. Soon enough the demons will turn on me to make me lower the boarders I have put up. It was a pleasure meeting you, Alison." Kurama leaned forwards to kiss her upon the forehead. "Think about what I suggested." With that said, the fox demon quickly disappeared.

Scarlet managed to make it back to the wind temple though she couldn't get what could have possibly upset the wind master earlier. Opening the doors to the temple, she made her way inside nervously having never seen Jin that upset before in the time she had gotten to know him. The high priest, Justin, saw Scarlet entering the temple causing him to rush up to her side. "What's going on, Justin?" The worried woman asked as she had felt the disturbance before with the earth.

"The ice barrier was brought down just then!" Justin exclaimed as he ushered Scarlet to her bedroom. "You need to take cover. The Wind Lord went to aid his friend when the demons broke through the barrier to take down the Ice Lord."

Hearing that Touya was possibly injured from a demonic attack, Scarlet panicked. "Oh no! Is he okay!" She exclaimed as she was guided safely to her bedroom door. She rested against the doorway of her bedroom, looking up at Justin with a pleading expression to know what happened.

"I don't know, Scarlet," Justin admitted somberly. "Right now I have to make sure the wind barrier stays up with the others. The demons are getting more aggressive, so I need you to stay here." The high priest paused for a moment to hear some of the women screaming in the main worshipping hall. "Close your door and don't open it for _**anybody**_!"

Scarlet watched as Justin hurried back down the halls of the temple to help the other priests and priestesses against an attack. At that moment, she felt a horrible sense of dread. Quickly she closed the door to her room and locked it to prevent anything from making it into her bedroom. Scarlet stepped back slowly upon hearing disgruntled, demonic sounds coming from beyond her door. It sounded like a pig squealing and a low growling on the opposite side of the door. The entire door itself began to shake and tremble from the demonic energy pressing against it.

She found herself backing up to her bed. Sitting down upon the covers, she brought her pillow to her chest while watching the door closely as it continued to rattle aggressively and the horrid sounds got louder with every second. "Somebody…do something…!" She pleaded.

At that moment, the sounds and the shaking of the door seemed to cease. Scarlet brought the pillow slowly away from her body to stare at her door nervously. Putting the pillow down on the bed, Scarlet got to her feet and made her way back over towards her door to press her ear against the wooden surface to make sure that nothing was on the other side.

"Hèske thèkna…!" A voice hissed from the other side before a fist broke through her woodwork near her face.

Scarlet screamed as the burned and blooded appendage made its way through to her room. Pushing away from the door, she witnessed as it was torn apart by the faceless damned soul. The creature pulled itself from the destroyed entranceway, crawling on its hands as its legs were nonexistent; it dragged its torso about the ground while screaming as if it were in pain. She jumped upon her bed to try and get away from the damned human. "Get away!" She demanded over its cries.

As the beast was making its way towards Scarlet, she watched with wide eyes as the damned being stopped in its tracks only to suddenly fall apart on the floor as it had been apparently sliced in half. Its blood marring the floor, Scarlet continued to stare in disbelief as it lied there dead. "Wh-What happened…?" She wondered as she looked down at the dead body upon the ground.

She was about to hop down from her bed only to recoil back at the sight of a hell hound entering inside of her bedroom. Inhaling sharply at the double mouthed dog, she watched in total fear as the beast from hell lunged towards her. Scarlet would have closed her eyes, but she found herself unable to turn away from the demonic creature coming at her. However, her sight was soon blocked as a demon with bat wings moved in front of her to raise his arm to cause the guardian of hell to bury its fangs into his flesh.

The bat demon threw his arm to the right to cause the dog to land harshly against the wall. Walking into the darkness where it quivered and whimpered, he gazed down at the creature angrily. "This is no place for you," he hissed at the servant, a scythe swinging back and forth in his hand from a chain. "Be gone back to hell, or I will destroy you here and now!"

The hound looked up at the bat demon, cowering a bit in fear at its power before making its way out the door and back where the dog belonged about the bounders of hell.

Scarlet watched in disbelief as the bat demon, with the long black hair stood there with his back to her. He remained there for awhile before bothering to head for her broken door to exit without any words to the frightened human woman whatsoever. "W-Wait!" She froze inside and out watching the six foot demon stop to stare at her through his black bangs and the visor he wore. "Who-who are you? What are you doing here?"

The bat demon stared at Scarlet long and hard before huffing. "I am merely here because my friend asked to help. You humans could rot in this hell for all I care," he grumbled as he exited the bedroom to make it to the main room of the temple, slaughtering the wandering demons as he passed them with his scythe.

Justin was in the main room of the temple with other high worshippers of the wind demon trying to maintain a barrier to protect those within the temple. _Wind Lord, please, come to our aid!_ He begged within his mind as he could feel the energy failing as the humans were giving out across the temple's quarters from their power running dry or from demon attacks. As Justin tried to keep his energy going for the wind barrier, he found a sharp pain assaulting his back. He fell to his knees as his back began to bleed from the claw marks now embedded within his flesh. The high priest refused to fall as he tried to remain where he was with his hands raised higher. "**JIN**!"

Hurrying into the main room, the bat demon threw his scythe at the beast, which was invisible to human eyes to tear it in two before it could continue its attack on Justin. Pulling his weapon back, he looked at the high priest who had caught sight of him. "Your 'lord' is on his way. He has heard your cries." He sauntered slowly towards the quivering man in morbid grace, his dark blue eyes not faltering from the sight of the injured human.

Gazing up through his hair that was dampened with his own sweat, Justin panted over the immense pain rushing through his human body. "Who…who are you…?" He asked just as Scarlet did before him, not recognizing the demon.

"My name is not important," the bat demon growled as he stood there staring down the human male as he were inferior to him. The strange demon began heading for the main doors to have them fly open with Jin hurrying inside at the call of his worshippers. "They are here—most in one piece as Kurama instructed. I am afraid some demons managed to slaughter some while I was making my way here."

Jin looked about the main worship hall to find some of the high priests and priestesses were mostly injured. "Thank you, Kuronue," he breathed with relief as the bat demon took his leave of the temple. Seeing Justin's back bleeding from demon claw marks, Jin hurried over towards the high priest to help him sit down. "Justin, are you okay?"

Justin struggled to catch his breath as he looked over at his demon. "I am sorry, my Lord…I tried—Ah!" The air touching his open wounds made the pain that much worse for him as he trembled. "I don't know…how Rachael is…"

"Rachael!" Jin panicked upon realizing he had left her unguarded. "I will be right back, Justin!" Getting to his feet, Jin hurried for the hallway only to run into one of the nurses on his way to his bedroom to check on his high priestess. "Please, gather the other nurses and tend to those that have been injured!" He didn't bother to spare another second to the healer passing by as he rushed down the halls to make it to his bedroom. Reaching his arms out, his palms hit the door to have it fly open to find his area in one piece thankfully. Making his way to the bedside, he found Rachael still there sleeping. "Rachael, are you okay?" Jin was eager to make sure as he shook the woman from her slumber.

The young, high priestess moaned softly as she batted her eyes open to see the wind master there beside her. She managed a weary smile at seeing him there. "Jin," Rachael whispered, "how are you doing?"

Jin placed his hand upon Rachael's head with a smile. "I am fine. How are you doing? Nothing came in here to attack you, did it?" He twitched his elfin ears to listen to every sound that came from his room, making extra sure nothing was hiding.

"I am feeling better," she admitted with a yawn. Rachael frowned realizing that there was probably an attack while she was asleep. "What happened while I was sleeping, my Lord? Did the demons attack the temple again?" She pushed herself up in bed only to be guided back down to the mattress.

"Do not worry, Razz," the wind master insisted as he covered her back up. "Everything will be fine. Just go back to sleep and gather your strength." Leaning over, Jin kissed her upon the forehead with a smile. "I am looking into enlisting help from other demons, so you humans don't wear yourselves thin with your spirit energy."

Rachael closed her eyes once more to continue resting off the demonic attack she had encountered. Jin made sure that the young woman was fast asleep before making his way to the bedroom door to make his leave. Closing the door behind him, he paused for a second feeling another high, demonic energy within his halls. A growl rippling within the depths of his throat, he looked out of the corner of his eye to watch slightly behind him before turning around in attempts to attack whoever was there only to stop mid-way. "K-Koujo? What are you doing here?"

"Calm down, Jin," Koujo chuckled as he pushed Jin's hand away from his face. "We felt there was a disturbance within this town, so some of the demons came down to help you all; especially after hearing about Touya being attacked and nearly killed."

"So, you're here to help me out around here?" Jin wondered as he tilted his head down slightly to gaze up at the blue haired demon through his red bangs. He managed a toothy smile at the friendly demon before straightening up. "Alright, if you could do me a big favor and make sure my humans are okay in the main hall. There was an attack there and Kuronue came to aid them, but some are gravely injured."

Koujo nodded at Jin's request. "Of course, I will get right on it." He turned upon his heels and headed down the hall back to the main lobby, dodging an oncoming, frantic Scarlet. "Watch out there, human," Koujo advised. "You could hurt yourself running that quickly through these corridors."

Scarlet stopped in her tracks to watch as the human looking demon continued down the hallways after sparing those words to her. "Another…another demon?"

"It is good to see you are in one piece. You look quite confused, my dear," said Jin as he placed his arms behind his head. "Not to mention-quite frazzled. Is something the matter?"

"Some demons just attacked me in my bedroom—**TWO** of them!" Scarlet stressed through her hurried breaths. "It was some legless beast and those hounds from hell! Jin, what is going on!"

Jin moved his elfin ears slightly at the sound of the hounds attacking her of all things. "That is strange. Normally the hell dogs only come to the surface if somebody is treading ever so close to the realm of the damned…" Bringing his arms down, he rested his index finger against his lower lip to think. "You didn't overdose or anything again, did you? Of course you didn't; I can't hear your spirit singing out of tune, and we took away your medicines." Jin's frown got serious as he looked up at the ceiling at nothing in particular. _This is bad…this town must be converging more and more into the darkness of hell each passing day._

Back in the main room of the wind temple, Rinku had offered to lend his limited healing powers to the injured humans within the temples. He held his hands on either side of one of the wounded high priestesses to heal her injuries slowly. When he managed to lend what power he could to her, he brought his hands back to watch her moan and remain against the temple wall to regain her strength.

Koujo parted the curtains hanging from the archway leading into the intertwining hallways. He spotted the kid demon, making his way over towards Rinku. "How are they?"

Rinku hooked his sight upon Koujo before eyeing the priests and priestesses he managed to give some of his healing powers to. "Well, I am almost done here. Human bodies are very sensitive to demon powers, so my healing abilities are of use after all," he admitted with a bit of a smile.

The taller demon smiled down at Rinku with his arms crossed over his chest. "You just have a few more temples to go."

"All except Kurama's seeing as he has healing powers of his own," Rinku corrected as he tangled his fingers together behind his colorful hat. "I don't think he needs my help when his powers are better than mine."

"If you want to go ahead and aid Touya's humans, I can stay here to watch over Jin's," Koujo promised.

Rinku looked out at the many worshippers that had been hurt from the demonic attacks. "Are you sure you'll be okay here?" He couldn't help but shake his head at how many fallen humans there were. "So many worship them as gods. I hope I don't drain myself completely."

Koujo sighed as he too gazed out at the humans that had fallen. "So many indeed. I am sure it must be fun to be regarded as a god but to watch over so many humans…" He paused as he heard one of the humans coughing harshly. Spying one of the high priests in pain still, Koujo looked over at Rinku with a reassuring nod that he had this under control before heading over to the priest. "It is okay; I am here to help you."

The high priest continued to cough until blood splattered upon his lips and hand. He looked at the demon and shook his head. "What have we done…," the priest wondered breathlessly.

"Save your breath," Koujo suggested as he held his palms out towards the human to try and heal his body further. He watched as the human flinched in pain from his injuries being healed. The priest's body apparently couldn't be healed any further than it was as Koujo witnessed the man inhale sharply before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his heart stopped its beat.

Jin entered the room to witness one of his priests pass away. He sighed heavily with his ears faltering. "David…" Kneeling down next to Koujo, Jin picked up the deceased human into his arms.

Koujo could tell the wind master was upset. "I am sorry, Jin. I sent Rinku onwards to Touya's temple, and I tried to save him but..."

The wind demon closed his eyes tightly before reopening them to look down at the priest he lost. "It isn't your fault, Koujo. Thanks to that portal to hell being open, more and more demons keep pouring through to attack and kill off our humans. If I lose anymore, I will be left without any worshippers."

"Some demons are working on sealing the portal that human girl created." Koujo got to his feet to stand beside Jin. "We will get this under control. It will just take some time."

"Let me pull David's soul before it is too late," said Jin as he headed towards the infirmary allowing Koujo to remain behind in the main hall to continue tending to the other fallen humans best he could in the wind master's absence.

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_**Author's Notes**_: Three cheers for me possibly not knowing how to spell Koujo's name. =x I dunno if that is right. Lemme know if it isn't. lol


	25. Chapter 25

**Sex scene cut further down, but it isn't much of one, so don't worry about the uncut. lol =B**

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Scarlet was too terrified to move from where she was in the hallway though the darkness engulfing the area made her knees threaten to buckle. Every little sound and every movement put her on edge as she tried to make her way to the wind master's bedroom, wanting to at least be with Rachael. Pushing herself off of the wall she was leaning against, Scarlet took off quickly down the hallway before her to have twisted and disgruntled sounds echo from almost everywhere. A low murmur echoed from down the corridor she came from, an image bombarding her mind to show a human looking body dragging itself quickly down the hall.

"Go away!" Scarlet screamed as she made it to the end of the hall to open the door leading into Jin's bedroom. Quickly she closed the door behind her, leaning against it to keep it shut. Upon entering the room, the candles blew out quickly as the door shook violently against Scarlet. As everything seemed to be getting worse, the banging and the sounds ceased just as soon as they came. The candles seemed to relight steadily by themselves to illuminate the room once more steadily. Scarlet felt something in the dim lighting, dampening her back. Her eyes looked behind her nervously to find fresh, dark crimson blood creeping from the walls as if they were bleeding.

Screaming, Scarlet pushed herself away from the wall to watch as the blood had started to creep about the floor as if it were alive. The floors themselves and the walls were rusted and blooded over. Looking over at the bed where Rachael was sleeping, Scarlet hurried over towards it to find the covers covered in ash and dark blood as well. The blankets covered up the priestess' body as if she were lying there dead on her back with the cloth hiding her face completely. "R-Rachael?" Scarlet hesitated as she reached for the covers to pull them back to make sure the priestess was alright. Her fingers finally gripping onto them, she threw back the cloth to let out a horrifying cry at seeing Rachael lying there with her body cut open clearly.

"Scarlet!" Jin called out, grabbing onto the frightened woman's shoulders to spin her around. He looked at Scarlet with a worried frown on his face. "What is the matter!"

Upon being spun around, Scarlet found everything snapping back to normal. She looked at the wind master wide-eyed, shaking furiously from the experience. "R-Rachael…Rachael!" She shuttered, turning around to point at the priestess only to find her lying there on her back peacefully with the covers resting perfectly about her chest, undisturbed. "Wh-what…? No!" Making it back to the bedside, Scarlet shook with disbelief at everything being fine. "I swear, I saw her cut apart and covered in blood!"

Jin sighed as he rested his hand back upon Scarlet's shoulder. "The demons are playing with your sight again. Demons are notorious for playing tricks with the human sight to make them see disturbing images." He could feel how frightened she was, as Scarlet was still shaking against his touch. "You are still so new to all of this, and I still have much to teach you." Jin got Scarlet to look at him once more. "Tomorrow I will get started on a few things to train you personally for the ceremony. Also, if all of this is terrifying for you, once Rachael is well enough and out of my bedroom, I will allow you to stay here till the portal is closed."

Scarlet brought her hands together and to her chest before eyeing the slumbering Rachael. "How can some of these people stand living this way? How could they possibly continue to stay loyal?"

The wind master was silent for a moment, his hands sliding from Scarlet's shoulders. "They stay loyal to us even after seeing what awaits them, because they know we will not let them suffer as these demons are making them think we will." Jin walked over towards where Rachael slept to place his hand upon her forehead tenderly. "When I sleep, I watch over those who are in the afterlife. When I am awake, I watch over those on this plain. I will not leave my worshippers to live a life of torment no matter where they reside."

Scarlet was quiet for a moment, watching the wind demon's actions. "…You never rest," she whispered, embracing her shaking form. "You tirelessly watch over everybody."

Jin looked over at Scarlet and simply smiled. "We all do—even the demons who feel obligated do feel some commitment to the humans that worship them. It is what you humans expected of us, and thanks to Yusuke's guidance, we became better guardians."

"Things must have been worse years before I was born," Scarlet thought aloud between the two of them.

The wind master closed his eyes though he tried to keep his smile. "If you want to know what monsters we truly were, there is one book I can loan you." With Scarlet being so silent, he tilted his head at her with a shrug. "Do you wish to see it?" Jin got to his feet and walked over towards his nightstand to pull out an ancient leather book that looked to be the size of a diary. He made his way back over towards his worshipper to show it to her. "If you want to read it that is fine with me. I have nothing to hide."

Scarlet opened her hands to accept the diary like book that had seen better days. "Are you sure you want me to read this?"

Jin scratched an annoying itch on the back of his head with a sigh through his nostrils. "It doesn't matter to me." He sat back down beside Rachael, running his fingers through her hair. "I need to give Rachael back some of her energy, so she can help me run things."

"You need to give her energy? I thought you could only take energy from the humans that worshipped you and through sex no less," Scarlet said in bewilderment.

The wind master chuckled a bit at Scarlet's comments. "It can be used both ways." He closed his eyes as he made his way closer to Rachael's lips to kiss her lovingly. "I can have spiritual intercourse with any of my worshippers to give them energy as well. I just rarely do so, because you never know lately when I may need every bit of my power," Jin whispered as he parted from the priestess' lips.

Scarlet watched Jin's actions towards Rachael, making her cringe almost with jealousy. Her fingers gripped the diary in her possession tightly, her teeth rolling over her lower lip. "I guess you've done this to quite a few of your worshippers."

The elfin ears of Jin wiggled a bit at Scarlet. His baby blue eyes looked at her to cast a smirking look upon her with them. "Are you saying you're jealous?" He pushed himself up from the bed to make his way back over towards Scarlet with a toothy grin.

"N-No! I never said that!" Scarlet insisted as she looked off to the side with a bright blush.

"You didn't have to say it," said Jin in return. "Your body language implied it." He witnessed as Scarlet tried to avoid the topic by keeping her mouth shut and looking the opposite direction still. Jin reached for her chin to prompt her into looking him directly in the eyes. "The only reason I don't touch you is because of the ceremony for one thing and for another, you said you were nervous about it." He witnessed the young virgin blush even more as Jin continued to stare at her. When he hinted coming closer to her lips to kiss her as well, Scarlet quickly pulled away from the demon to show she didn't want any kind of affection from him. "I see."

Scarlet looked over at Jin with the soft blush still evident in her cheeks. "God, you're awful!" She growled as she tried to hide her embarrassment.

"Well, you might want to try and be rid of those feelings sometime soon," the wind master insisted with a toothy grin as he turned his back to her. "Because once you're in shape, the ritual will begin." He sat back down upon the side of the bed to be close to his priestess once more. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to give Rachael some of her energy back, so I can have her back amongst the group." At that moment he began to take his top off by pulling the pieces of clothing down from his shoulders. "That is unless you want to stay and watch."

The young woman's face nearly broke into utter shock at his words as she backed up to the door. "You have no boundaries!" She scolded with her fists clenched to her sides. "How anybody can put up with you is beyond me!" It gave her the strength she needed to finally leave the room belonging to the wind demon. Her back against the door she closed behind her, Scarlet looked up at the ceiling with a deep breath. _He is so annoying…but what is this power he holds over me…? _She wondered with her hand clasping her chest.

Back inside of Jin's bedroom, the wind demon looked down at the slumbering priestess. The back of his hand graced her cheek before cupping it. He leaned down once more to kiss her deeply once more. Gazing back at her peaceful expression, Jin smiled as he moved into the bed with her to lie beside her. "I will come to you," he whispered mostly to himself, resting his forehead upon hers.

Rachael's dreaming plain appeared quite peaceful. In the middle of a meadow filled with flowers of all kinds, her spirit rested within them. She was upon her back looking up at the blue sky with a smile. She had missed seeing such things when it came to her days in Wind Knoll. Her eyes shifting back and forth to watch the clouds pass by slowly, Rachael found her view blocked by the wind demon leaning over her. "Oh, my Lord," she giggled as she pushed herself up from the flowers she was lying about. "What are you doing here?"

Leaning over, Jin kissed her upon the lips tenderly to taste of her spirit energy. He looked at her with a tender, childlike smile. "I have come to give the energy you will need to get out of bed and be well again."

The high priestess couldn't tell she was blushing at that moment. She had often had times with the demon 'god', but they were few and far in between seeing as she tried to keep her energy in check for his sake. Reaching for the wind demon, she wrapped her arms about his neck to kiss him happily in return, surprising Jin greatly as he widened his eyes a bit at her rather spontaneous and eager kiss to him.

"Have you missed me that much?" Jin laughed as he gently pulled her away from him to look into her eyes. He witnessed as she brought her hand close to her mouth while looking the other way, seeming to feel a bit ashamed. His hands gracing her shoulders, he brought his priestess close to his chest as if to hug her. As soon as their bodies met, the fabric on their forms dissolved leaving them naked. To feel of her human body next to his gave him such excitement. "I have missed you as well, Rachael," he whispered upon the top of her head. The wind demon guided her down to the flowerbed beneath them.

Rachael closed her eyes, feeling of the heavy demon on top of her. The feel of him kissing her caused a pleasurable sensation to rake through her entire body. Her fingers exploring his wild, red hair, Rachael's breath started to quicken at the demon attempting to rouse her through his touching of skin with his hands and his lips. "My Lord…!" She exclaimed breathlessly. When the priestess felt him making it down to her thighs, she tensed up and unconsciously tried to stop him.

Jin was aware of the priestess' displeasure with her legs, causing him to fight back with her. "It is okay; it is okay," he assured her quietly. "There is nothing wrong with you. You're fine." He knew she was embarrassed over the stretch marks on her thighs that appeared no thanks to her losing weight when she was younger. "There is nothing wrong with you," Jin assured her once more quietly.

Her eyes seemed to shine with tears as she looked down at him with a smile. "You were the one to help me through my embarrassing weight gain. I just…don't like what it left behind."

The redhead smiled with a chuckle in the depths of his throat. "You looked fine then as you look fine now. Now, just relax."

----

Scarlet slept peacefully for once that night. Enjoying her moments of slumber, she was suddenly awakened by a rather rough shake. The means of waking her startled Scarlet as she flailed her arms about for a moment before waking fully to realize that it was just Jin. "J-Jin…what are you doing!" She demanded to know.

"Come on," said Jin as he pulled the covers off of Scarlet's body. "Come on, get up."

"What time is it!" Scarlet wanted to know as she still felt incredibly tired. When she refused to move, the wind demon picked her up in his arms. She struggled against the demon irritably wanting to be put back in bed.

Jin grinned, showing off his fangs. "It is eight in the morning. I am taking you to get an early breakfast and then I am going to get you into a small exercise routine." The wind demon made it down to the Dinning Hall where the breakfast was being prepared. He placed Scarlet back on her feet while opening the door to the dinning room, keeping a hold onto the tired woman as he escorted her inside. "Alright, now, sit down, and I will get some food for you." Scarlet threatened to get up and leave prompting the demon to force her back down on the bench seat she was upon. "Nyeh-sit!" He demanded, waving his finger at her. "If you get up and head back to your bedroom, I will drag you back here kicking and screaming."

Scarlet crossed her arms over the empty table in front of her, resting her head upon her arms. The entire Dinning Hall was empty, leaving her a bit of peace to sleep. However, it was not to last as Jin came back to wake her from her minute or two slumber. Moaning, Scarlet rested her head within the palm of her hand. "Why do you have to implement this now?" She covered her weary eyes with her hands as the wind master joined her.

"Now, what good would later do?" Jin wondered as he pushed the plate close to Scarlet. "Go ahead and eat what you can. I also believe Don wanted you to document the foods you ate, when, and how much." Digging into his right pants pocket, he pulled out a list to show to Scarlet. "I have a schedule for you to follow for the next coming months. More will be added to it as you get back in shape." He pointed at the top of the list. "From 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM, you'll eat breakfast. Then from 8:30 Am to 10:00 AM, we'll go to the park and exercise. Right now seeing as you're not used to exercise, I will start out with some minor things for you. Then if you want, you can come back here and take a shower and a nap for at least an hour, and then, from 11:00 AM to 2 PM, I will be working on your servant training with a break of lunch. Of course every Monday you will be going to speak with Donovan around 3 PM till 4."

Hearing all of that made Scarlet lose her appetite as she messed around with the pancakes and eggs on her plate. "So you planned out my entire day for the rest of my life?" She grumbled, resting her cheek against her knuckles. "That's just peachy…"

"Well, not entirely," Jin chuckled. "Once I get you up to speed with your life, I will be planning much more."

Scarlet scrunched up her nose as she finally picked up a piece of her pancakes to put into her mouth. "I thought I was supposed to be free here. This sounds like spiritual boot camp."

Jin tilted his head slightly with a grin at her complaints. "Oh, now, come on. As guardian of your welfare and your soon to be spiritual husband, it is in my best interest to look after your best interest. And your best interest is to get back in shape and get your body back in tune with your servant duties to me—." He paused for a second thinking about Touya. "—and to get you back in tune with being Touya's high priestess."

"I'd rather be a high priestess than some servant girl," Scarlet remarked irritably as she put another piece of pancake into her mouth. "Being called a servant still sounds so demeaning."

The wind demon brought his hands together with a sigh through his nostrils. "Do you know what servants do for the demons?" When Scarlet didn't answer, he continued. "They are basically like maids. Long before the demonic war, which caused a good majority of our worshippers to be wiped, I used to have many of them. I cherished each one as if they were my wives as they were my main source of energy, and they served me when I was well and when I was ill." Jin looked sorrowfully off to the side for a moment. "But then the demons attacked my temple, slaughtering every one of them and forcing me to turn to my high priests and priestesses. After that moment, not one child baptized under me became a servant in my name. I grieved for a few years as I missed them and the misfortune I had of not being able to obtain anymore." Jin gazed back at Scarlet with a tender smile. "But now, I have finally been blessed with one."

"I am sorry to hear that," Scarlet said wearily as she tried to eat her breakfast. "I still don't like the sound of being a servant or maid."

Jin grabbed onto her cheek to pinch it gently. "Well, hurry up and finishing eating. You've got five minutes left until we leave."

Sighing, Scarlet stuck a few eggs into her mouth with a roll of her eyes not enjoying being up so early. "Wonderful…five more minutes until I have to suffer through hours of hell."

It was terribly foggy that morning, leaving the town void of life. Scarlet found it to be slightly chilly as she wrapped her arms about her tiny frame while being escorted to the park not too far from the Wind Temple. She was in a sleeveless top, gray in appearance and rather raggedy looking to show age. Her baggy pants were black, nearly engulfing her thin legs. "I can't believe I am wearing this. I usually sleep in this stuff," Scarlet grumbled as she made it to the park.

Arriving upon the park, Scarlet looked out at the eerie sight. Fog covered all of the flat plain, making it difficult to see much of anything that wasn't within sight. Her eyes shifting over towards the swing set she could see shrouded within the thick fog; Scarlet watched as the one swing swung back and forth, creaking upon each sway. Every time the wind blew, it was almost as if people were whispering upon it though nobody could be seen. She never liked going to the park, even as a little girl. Backing up into Jin's chest, Scarlet looked up at the wind demon with a shake of her head. "I don't like it here. Can't we train somewhere else?"

Jin looked down at Scarlet wondering what had her appearing so spooked. "Come now, it isn't that bad. Is it because of the fog?" He frowned down at her hoping that she'd be braver than that. Raising his arm, he opened his hand to force the wind to blow about the fog so that it would lighten up and show a bit more of the desolate area. "Is this better?"

"I-guess…" Scarlet mumbled as she kept her eyes and ears open for any stray demons that may attack her senses.

"Alright, now we stretch, so we don't pull anything." Jin outstretched his arms to rotate back behind him, intertwining his fingers to stretch out his back. "Just stretch out your body without over doing it." He watched as Scarlet seemed to resist at first. "Stretch or I will come over there and make you do it," he threatened.

Scarlet rolled her eyes once more and started stretching by raising one hand straight upwards and having the other come behind her head to grab onto her upper arm. She still felt uneasy about working with the demon out in the open, even if she was assured he was a high level one that could take on anything. Feeling something staring at her from behind, Scarlet turned around to the point her back was facing the wind demon. "Jin?"

"Yeah?"

She kept her eyes out at the still foggy park, on edge at every groaning sound and every twig that snapped. "What exactly-what makes a demon?"

Jin looked over at Scarlet from where he was mostly looking at the ground. He was trying to stretch out his legs by bending them from side to side. "It is a multitude of things. A demon can be somebody that was rejected from passing into heaven by the child ruler, Koenma and sent to the pits of Makai to be punished. It can be an un-rested, lost, and angry spirit that pulled from the body and cannot find peace. Also, it can be spirits who wander the world and envy the living so much they turn into vindictive demons."

"What were you?" Scarlet asked in interest.

"I thought I told you which I was," Jin chuckled as he finished his stretches. He began to swing his arms back and forth. "I was judged before Koenma, and I was told my deeds were sinful, and I needed to repent, so I was sent to Makai to be reborn as a demon."

"Yeah, but…what was it that you did?"

The wind demon paused for a second, not having to explain that part of his past before. "Well-umm-millennia ago, I was a half-elf born." When he saw Scarlet not really stretching well, he moved over towards her to help her bend down a little bit with her legs straight. "When I was growing up, I had to take care of my mother by myself, and I don't know what happened with my dad. I was told he died in some war, but I often think it was a lie. Stay straight," he ordered to Scarlet when he was touching her legs. "Anyways, she ended up falling ill to the point I had to run everything for her. When she died, I was forced out on my own at the age of 16. While I was traveling by myself, a group of thieves attacked me and beat me within an inch of my life. They threatened to kill me if I didn't work for them. So I worked under them for the coming years of my life by taking the lives of others and rolling in the gold I would receive as payment."

"But, then-it wasn't your fault," Scarlet felt need to say, shaking her head. "You were forced to kill innocent lives."

Jin allowed Scarlet to stand upright again, turning her around so she would face him. "I was a coward," he said simply. "I was a malicious coward. There was nothing but my own life that I valued at that moment when they threatened me. My mother and father were gone, and I had no siblings to protect. I deserved to be damned."

Scarlet looked off to the side feeling awful for the wind master. "Jin, I am-I am sorry."

The wind demon smiled, almost pure and childlike at her comment. "Do not worry about me. My time to be re-judged will come soon enough. Now, let's get you running." Jin pointed ahead at the dirt track that was covered further up by the fog. "We're going to run this track. It is used by runners and sometimes by me whenever I feel like jogging. Now, let's start off walking and then we'll jog and then run. Does that sound good?"

"What sounds good is bed right about now," Scarlet grumbled honestly. Upon saying that, Jin pushed her forwards with one firm push to her back. She stumbled forwards only to catch herself. "Watch it, buddy!" The wind demon didn't allow her to spare another word as he ushered her down the track before them.

_I ran that stupid track for what seemed like hours. A good part of me was so tired that I just wanted to go home and sleep already well into the next day. When ten did arrive on the dot, the air-head whisked me back to the temple. I didn't even care about a shower. As soon as I got back, I fell on my bed and fell asleep rather quickly._

Jin scratched the side of his head in bewilderment at Scarlet's desire to sleep. "Goodness, it was only a few routine exercises." When his ears caught the sound of her lightly snoring, he smiled tenderly down at her. Grabbing onto the covers, he moved them up to her chest to tuck her in for the hour. "I'll be back later to wake you for further training," he whispered mostly to himself as he knew Scarlet was dead asleep. "Hopefully this rest will revive your spirit a little bit." Jin escorted himself to the bedroom door to allow the servant child to sleep in peace.

"My Lord," a young woman called down the hallway upon the demon making his appearance.

The wind demon raised his brow as he gazed down at the high priestess Rachael, who had recovered. "Razz, how are you feeling?"

Razz blushed as she looked down off to the side for a moment to avoid contact for a moment. "Yes, I am feeling a bit better no thanks to you." She reached for Jin, wrapping her arms about his torso to hug him tightly. "I am indebted to you, my Lord." She closed her eyes as she hugged him tightly. "You kept me alive ever since I was born here."

Jin blinked in surprise of the hug before finally embracing her back with a smile. He looked down at Razz, remembering the night she was born within the temple. Jin knew her mother well as a high priestess of his. "I remember your mother when she worked under me, Razz. She was beautiful, with long braided, coffee colored hair and equally brown eyes."

He remembered seeing Rachael's mother often in the garden beside the temple, tending to the flowers she would grow there. Jin would call her for hours to find where she had gone to have her answer 'in the garden'. He landed beside Rachael's mother, watching as she was watering a few of them that she had planted. "Keira," Jin remembered saying to her as he watched her dainty hands work away at her garden. "What are you doing out here?" Walking over towards her, he placed his hands upon the young woman's shoulders. "You know you really shouldn't be doing much of anything right now when you're so far along."

Keira was pregnant at that moment with Rachael and was do any day. She got to her feet with Jin's help. Her hand resting upon her swollen stomach, Keira allowed the wind demon to help her back to the temple. "I will be fine. I just wanted to tend to my garden before heading in to rest."

Later that night, Keira had a difficult birth when it came to Rachael. Jin remembered hearing her spirit reacting to the spirit world at critical levels. Once Rachael was safety delivered, some nurses turned their focus back on the dying mother. He watched in utter horror as one of his priestesses was dying there in the delivery room. "Keira…?" Jin wondered to himself in shock as he could see her body failing her before his eyes. Upon hearing her flat-line and her body go still, Jin realized she had died. "**KEIRA**!" He yelled, not wishing to pull her under with the rest so soon.

"There was nothing we could do, my Lord," one of the nurses explained somberly before the wind demon hours later. "At the very least, the child is okay."

Jin turned around to look at the child that Keira had been holding for so many months with an expression almost void of emotions that could be described. A part of him didn't want to admit to hating the child for killing his priestess, but the feeling was there and it pained him as he walked over to the child to look upon it. He saw the defenseless human babe lying there in the nurse's arms looking hungry; witnessing her there, Jin's anger and resentment dissolved with a heavy sigh. "Let me see her," he said quietly while extending his hands.

With the baby coming into his arms, he looked down at her with a tender smile. "Bring some milk for her, so we can feed her." He sat down on the side of his bed, holding onto the young girl remembering the name Keira wanted to give her baby if it was a girl. "Rachael, I will be the one to take care of you now. I promise to do you and your mother proud." Jin tapped her nose gently with his finger as he rocked her in his arms.

"And you did fine," Rachael explained, bringing Jin back from the past. She touched the wind demon's cheek to get him to look at her. "I turned out just fine, and I know my mother would have been proud to see me today."

Jin chuckled within his throat, nodding at her comment as he held onto her wrist. "You have no idea how much. She had such dreams for you to take over in her place and to be somebody I would be proud to call my priestess. I am more than pleased and proud to call you my high priestess." He sighed a bit as he gazed over at Scarlet's bedroom door. "I feel the same way with this one. Her mother died on her, and her father is an abusive bastard. She still has much growing to do but nobody to by there with her on the journey." His blue eyes set back upon Rachael with a slight shrug. "Also, she is mentally and physically sick. It is taking so much to keep her alive."

"What you're doing now is fine. Exercise, proper eating, and study into the ways she was blinded to will make her forget her pain and get her back into at least proper physical health," Rachael assured the demon as she folded her hands before her dress. When Jin looks away from the high priestess, she moves her hands behind her back to try and gaze up into his eyes when she leans forward. "I know you too well, Jin. You won't give up on her until she's well. You're stubborn like that as you always have to get your way."

The wind demon chuckled with a bright smile upon his face. "I try my best." Looking at the time on the wall clock, he saw that Scarlet had forty more minutes before getting up to study. "Razz, can you do me a favor and watch over things here for a little bit and wake Scarlet in the coming hour?"

"Well, sure, but where are you going?"

"I am going to check on Touya. I will be back soon so don't worry about me being gone for too long." Jin winked at the priestess with a wag of his finger. "I need you to wake Scarlet and get her prepared for study when it comes to her servant position."

"Yes, my Lord," Razz responded with a slight bow. She witnessed as the wind demon took off down the hall to make it outside to fly to the Ice Temple.

The Ice Temple was still trying to be reconstructed where it had been broken into. Jin landed outside of the temple doorway, which had to still be concealed with Kurama's dangerous vines covered in thorns. Reaching his hand up towards the vines, he allowed his energy to be felt by the demonic creations to have them part for him to enter. Stepping inside, he found Suzuka inside watching over some of the worshippers and the men and women who were trying to rebuild the part of the temple that had been destroyed. When he caught the redhead out of the corner of his eye, he blinked a few times, surprised to see him. "Jin, what are you doing here?"

"I have come to check how Touya is and speak with him." He looked around the room a bit to find that everything appeared okay since the last time he was there. "So how is he? Is he feeling better?"

Suzuka was quiet as he looked somberly over his shoulder at the hallway, which would lead to the ice demon's bedroom. "One of his high priestesses is with him right now. He is having a hard time stabilizing his energy." He turned back to Jin with a worried frown. "Ever since that attack, his energy has been chaotic. Maybe you can help him a bit while you're here."

Touya was lying in his bed with his high priestess, Jessie, at his bedside. The ice demon appeared as though he was in pain. He was breathing heavily while sweating profusely at having his energy rising and falling. Jessie was holding onto his hand tightly, trying to reassure Touya she was there and trying her best to help. When she heard the door open, the priestess turned to look over her shoulder to find the wind master there. "Jin, the Wind Lord," she seemed to praise.

Jin made his way over towards his friend and the ice priestess. He could see from the redness in her eyes that she had been crying often over the fear of the demon dying. "Jessie, is it?" He was trying to make sure he didn't forget her name was quickly. "It's okay. I will stabilize his energy. Stand aside, please." Kneeling in the place the priestess was, he got his lips close to Touya's, sliding his hand on his chest. "It's okay; you're going to be okay," Jin whispered on the ice shinobi's mouth. He appeared to kiss the ice demon as he attempted to send some of his energy back into Touya. His hand remaining firmly on his friend's chest, he pressed his fingers in certain spots. _Come on_, Jin begged within his mind. _Breathe with me, or you're going to suffocate yourself._

Touya still appeared in agony from where the priestess was watching. His fingers curling and his body jolting every once in awhile, the movements seemed to lesson a bit as Touya's breathing got back down to normal. When the wind demon parted from his lips, the ice master blinked his eyes open. "J-Jin…? Once again you come to my rescue," he joked lightly.

The redhead smiled, showing off his fangs in the process. "You always were a troublesome little brother." The two, of course not related, thought of each other as brothers mostly growing up in the shinobi sect. Jin slid off of the bed to allow Touya some breathing room.

Feeling somebody watching them from the far corner of his bedroom, Touya looked over to find his high priestess there looking rather worried and upset. "M-My Lord…you're okay!" She expressed with tears rolling down her cheeks. She hurried over to his bedside once more, holding onto his hand. "I was afraid I would lose you."

Touya looked apologetically at his priestess. "I didn't mean to worry anybody, Jessie. Thank you for being here with me. I appreciate it." As he embraced the priestess, he witnessed Jin making motions to get the woman to leave for a moment or two. "Uh, Jessie, why don't you go and get some sleep? I am sure later I am going to need more energy to feed off of, so be sure that everybody is in condition for that."

Jin watched the priestess nod with a slight bow. He waited for her to leave the room before bothering to speak with the Touya. "So, how are you feeling? Better?"

Touya sat upright in his bed, bringing his legs close to his chest with a smile and a throaty chuckle. "Well, I am feeling better now that you came to help me. I forget that you can control any bit of air, including what we breathe in." He tilted his head slightly down, allowing some of his sky-blue hair to roll into his face. "So, why are you here? Is something the matter?"

"I was curious about how you wanted to train Scarlet seeing as she was baptized under you as a priestess, I think," Jin confessed, sitting relaxed on his friend's bedside.

Trying to remember so far back on one person was difficult for the demon as he had many worshippers he baptized and took in. He massaged his forehead in trying to remember the ceremony. "Umm-yeah, she was baptized as one of my soon to be priestesses. As far as I am concerned, if she wants to pick up training with me, she is more than welcome to come back here to train."

"Well, I was working out a schedule for her to get her back in shape and in tune with things, so if you want, I can find her a time to come over here to train," said Jin as he tilted his head to the side as well, almost playfully.

"Did you not hear me? I said **IF** she wants to," Touya said firmly. Jin looked at him rather shocked making the ice master sigh irritably, closing his eyes. "I know she was originally mine, but I know a part of her still feels resentment towards me and what happened with her mother. I don't want to force her over here. I am sorry I haven't had much time with her. Ever since my barrier was attacked, and I lost my energy, I haven't had much of it to do anything."

Jin scratched the back of his head a bit in confusion over Touya's choice. "Once she is finished with her training, I can bring her over here to talk with you. Maybe you can convince her to worship under you once more as your priestess."

Touya rolled his eyes at Jin's air-headedness. "Whatever makes you happy seeing as you aren't listening to me," he grumbled mostly to himself. "While you train her, let me get some sleep. I think I can handle a peaceful few hours of rest now."

Reaching over, Jin messed up Touya's hair a bit more as if to pat him on the head like he was his younger brother. "I will bring her over around three or so." He helped his friend lie down, pulling the covers up to his chest. "Sleep well, and I will see you in a few hours."


	26. Chapter 26

_**Author's Notes**_: Like I promised when updating MNK, I didn't die. =x I just got way too into WoW again. I was hooked for a month. I am trying to play it in moderation, but it becomes hard for me. lol I just sneezed my way through this chapter no thanks to a cold I know have. Thanks work for once again getting me sick. V_V Anyways, next chapter! Enjoy!

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With the spirit activity more overwhelming than ever, Scarlet found her-self interacting with some in her sleep. She was standing in her backyard at her old house. Watching her and her mother interacting with one another again, she sat down on the bench to watch the dream play out. Resting her knuckles on her cheeks, she sighed a bit to herself. _**"I do miss you, mom…" **_A shadow soon casting upon Scarlet caused the young woman to avert her attention nervously over her shoulder. The dark figure taking the appearance of Jin well enough, she sighed a breath of relief. _**"Oh, Jin, it is just you."**_ Seeing the wind master put her at ease though she wasn't really paying attention to the hidden dark smirk upon his face. Scarlet pushed herself up from the bench she was sitting on to turn to the wind demon.

"_**You look like you're sad,"**_ Jin said with a sly look in his red eyes. Scarlet seemed to shrug as the redhead reached for her to place his hands upon her shoulders. _**"I can help with that."**_ He grinned.

His hands touching her spirit form, Scarlet felt her entire body ache in an agonizing way. Moaning in a bit of misery, she threatened to pull away. _**"Your touch…it is hurting me…!"**_

With Scarlet threatening to back away, Jin grabbed onto her neck as if to warn her he would strangle her if she moved. He narrowed his eyes down at her irritably this time with a bare of his fangs. _**"Don't move, or you'll regret it!"**_ He growled. With a blink of his red orbs, they went from a dark red to nothing but white to show it was not the wind master she knew. When Scarlet continued to struggle, the demon in the disguise of Jin pushed her down towards the bench she was originally sitting on.

Her head hitting the cold cement of the bench, her mind subconsciously told her she should be bleeding from the force her skull exerted upon the object. Scarlet grabbed onto the hand, which was soon about her neck, to try and pry it off of her or at least lessen the pressure he was putting upon her. At that moment, she wasn't sure what was hurting the worse, the injury she sustained on the back of her head or the negative power that was touching her. The mere touch of this spirit was making her entire spirit form feel as if her body was painfully expanding to its limits. _**"Let…go…of me…! Please!"**_ Scarlet begged through her labored breaths and struggle.

The disguised demon grinned as he moved in towards her mouth. _**"It will all be over soon,"**_ he whispered eerily to her as his tongue crawled up her right cheek.

Scarlet could feel his painful touch moving down to her left thigh making her scream best she could to attract any positive spirits to come and help her. She had a feeling nobody would come quick enough making her panic. _It's my dream_, Scarlet thought. _I should be able to banish him! _Closing her eyes tightly, Scarlet tried her hardest to change the scene only to be knocked off of her concentration from the tighter grip the demon put on her. _**"AH!"**_

Razz was making her way back to Scarlet's bedroom to wake her up on the hour as Jin asked of her. She tied her hair back in a bun upon making it to Scarlet's door to be rid of the annoying hairs getting in her face. Knowing it was unlocked, Razz opened it to allow herself inside. Upon setting one foot inside, the high priestess paused and began to shiver from the evil chill she suddenly got. "What is going on…Scarlet!" Seeing Scarlet trembling and arch her back in pain, Razz hurried over to the bedside to shake the sleeping woman. "Scarlet! Scarlet, wake up!" With her being nonresponsive, Razz pulled out her talisman she wore about her neck. "In the name of the Wind Lord and the powers he grants me, I cast you out of this woman's body!" Pressing the neckwear against Scarlet's mind, she witnessed as the young woman screamed before her eyes finally flew open and she quickly sat upright in bed. "Thank goodness," breathed Razz. "Are you okay? What happened!"

Scarlet could hardly find the time to catch her breath as she held onto her rapidly beating chest. "So much…pain…it hurt just to be touched by him!" She seemed to ramble.

"Calm down; calm down," whispered Razz as she held onto Scarlet's hand, which was closest to her, using her other to try and wipe some of the sweat from the woman's brow. "Now, what happened? What attacked you in your dream?"

"It was some demon," Scarlet answered with a harsh swallow. "He was in the disguise of Jin, and I didn't realize it till he was touching me and just his touch was so painful to my body."

"A shape-shifter," mumbled Razz. "A good majority of them are Virgin Hunters. He was trying to take your virginity, wasn't he?"

Scarlet nodded eagerly as she began to cry from the fearful rush her body got. Bringing her legs up to her chest, she allowed Razz to mess with her slightly dampened hair about her face. "I hate when this happens. It makes me never want to go back to sleep for awhile."

Razz sighed through her nostrils, knowing the feeling all too well herself when she grew up aware of the darkness surrounding Wind Knoll. She held onto Scarlet's wrist, squeezing it almost reassuringly. "Did you ever talk to Jin about the ritual he had in mind for you?"

"No," Scarlet answered with another shake of her head. "It is too embarrassing and scary to think about."

The high priestess raised a brow with a slight shrug. "Why? I can imagine it is going to be a little nerve-wracking for your first time, but it is better to be claimed by someone you trust; especially a demon. If you're marked by him, demons won't be coming as frequently to your door to rape you. You'll have Jin's energy signature on you."

"But they will still come to me!" Scarlet felt need to point out as she ran her fingers through her hair. She buried her face in between her legs as if to hide for a moment. "It isn't like I can completely save myself with this ritual, and I am so scared to have a demon perform it on me…"

Razz intertwined her fingers there upon the bedside with a shrug. "Would you like to slow the attacks or make them continue frequently until your sanity breaks and one actually succeeds in marking your spirit to haunt you eternally?" When Scarlet looked at her finally with a bit of a startled appearance, Razz explained. "When a spirit connects with you for the first time, the energy signature is there on you for some time until the next time you couple. The energy signature draws in the male that coupled with you. That is why Jin will have a better connection with you if he does this. If a Virgin Hunter couples with you, he will continue to come to you to rape and abuse you!"

Scarlet was speechless, unable to think at that moment. The silence was broken when the wind master himself did eventually make it back to the temple to Scarlet's room to continue her schedule as he had planned. "Jin…," she said breathlessly.

Jin raised a brow at the scene before him, feeling that something went wrong. "Scarlet?" He began in wonder as he made it over to her side. "What is the matter?" Scarlet didn't answer the wind master as he was embraced by the startled woman. Holding her tightly to his chest, he looked over at Razz mouthing, "What happened?"

"Another Virgin Hunter," Razz sighed softly between the three of them. "It was in disguise of you."

Moving his strong hand to cup the back of Scarlet's head, he looked off to the side as if to think on a way to protect her. "With the demon portal open and flooding in demons as it is, nightmares are going to cause problems to those sensitive to it and negative spirits are going to be running like crazy about the realm to attack spirit projecting humans." He shifted his attention over to his high priestess to nod at her as if to hint he wanted to be left alone with Scarlet for a moment. Razz took the hint and got up to make her way out of the bedroom.

Scarlet heard the door close as she held tightly onto Jin still. "His touch to me was so painful…," she admitted to the wind demon as she pressed her forehead against his bare chest. Scarlet could feel his chest muscles flex slightly when he moved, comforting her. "It felt like my body was distorting under his touch in painful ways."

"That's because he was a negative spirit," Jin explained with a worried frown. "When a negative spirit touches you, usually the results are harmful. As Touya said to me one time, it is because our spirits are so highly charged of energy that sometimes a connection can prove deadly. Each one has a different energy source," he explained with a raise of his finger. "Like with Touya, he has cold spirit energy and it is easy to tell when he is near. Sometimes people can connect with him and accept his touch while others are repelled by it. He has actually nearly killed some people by just touching them." Jin moved some of Scarlet's hair about to try and ease her. "With this negative spirit, as soon as he touched you, it caused your spirit to want to repel, but it couldn't, so it was paining your body."

"I don't want them to come near me anymore," Scarlet practically whimpered against Jin's body. "I am so tired of all of this…"

"Well, has it helped you decide on the ritual?" Jin asked bluntly and without much thought.

Scarlet grumbled a bit at how insensitive that question was. Her knuckles meeting briefly with his chest, she heard him grunt from the impact. "That was rather obnoxious of you to say!" She growled, narrowing her eyes at him. "But," Scarlet sighed, "I guess I have no choice in the matter now."

Wincing a bit, Jin rubbed his chest area where he received her punch. "I wasn't trying to be insensitive! I was trying to be the opposite!" Jin insisted with a pout. "Scarlet, things are going to get worse before they get better. Why not let me help you a bit through this hard time? I can do it! I promise!"

To Scarlet he appeared like a little kid begging to show he could do anything. Sighing with a title of her head, she managed a nod. "A-Alright, I will consider doing the ritual. What do I have to do besides plan it with you?" She closed her eyes tightly at having to admit she would, opening one a moment later to look up at Jin nervously.

"That is basically it," Jin said with a nod, his wild hair shaking. "Other than that, you need to prepare to couple with me. Apparently, you need to psyche yourself up mentally being a nervous virgin."

Scarlet looked at the demon nervously. "Is it…going to hurt?"

Jin coughed into his fist almost to avoid the subject. "Well, it just might." He kind of mumbled his words knowing she didn't want to hear that part. "But, what would you prefer: for this ritual to hurt for a little for a moment or for a negative spirit to hurt you for a lifetime if you couple with it?"

"Point taken," said Scarlet as she blew some of her hair out of her face. "So when should we discuss this?"

The redhead shrugged as he moved back from the hug he had given the scarred woman. "Right now I had in my mind to train you for your servant duties." He turned to her and smiled brightly, showing off most of his teeth. "But I guess afterwards we could do that." Gathering some of his wind powers, Jin lifted himself up off of the bed to hover slightly with his legs crossed before bringing himself back down to the floor. "So, come on, let me get you a few things to study." The demon outstretched his hand to the startled girl. "Shall we?"

Scarlet studied his hand for a moment before looking up at Jin, taking his hand as he had offered. Pulled up quickly from where she is sitting, Scarlet was escorted back down to the Study Hall where all of the books were that she could use. The wind demon opening the door for them both, she tried to keep up behind Jin as he made it down the walkway to look up and down the shelves to find the one he was looking for. As she hurried behind Jin, she noticed that some of the worshippers didn't care to look his way or the wind demon would dodge somebody coming right at him. Scarlet was confused at first until remembering that some worshippers were still blind to what the demon actually was. "I guess some can't really see you, hu?"

"Nope," Jin answered simply as he continued on his way. He made it to the center of the room where beautiful mural seemed to be painted on the ceiling above depicting him in his 'angelic' form summoning the winds in a large circle. There was a mural on the floor to accompany the one on the ceiling as well showing a bit of Celtic wind designs. Jin had stopped in the center of that area to look at the bookshelves lining the circular patterns as he was trying to remember which way to go for servant training books. "A good many people here don't know who or what I really am, and it is a shame," he said once more, cupping his chin to think with a raise of his brow. "Ah, this way!" Jin pointed off to the east of the building before strutting down that way with a pleased grin.

Engulfed by the books once more, Jin made it down the rows of books to the point he could raise his finger to the titles to find the one he was thinking of. "Ah, here is the one!" He exclaimed with excitement pulling an old book from the shelf. Checking the title to make sure it was indeed the right one, Jin handed it over to Scarlet to have her look at it. It was a very simple book with nothing but a blue-black, leather binding and the title The Servant Girl in gold letters. "That was written by one of my very first servant girls 400 years ago. It is a very old book and a favorite of mine so don't go losing it!"

Scarlet eyed the author's name. "Anne Tailor?"

Jin nodded with a smile. "She was a pretty one. She had auburn hair and fair skin and a bit chubby. She's still at my side in the afterlife. A good woman, that." Waving his finger for her to follow him again, he made it out of the book aisle and to another section of the Study Hall that had a few tables for people to read and write in their book of shadows in private. Jin took flight once more to make it over to the area he wanted Scarlet to sit at. "You have a book of shadows, right?" Sitting cross-legged in front of her, he tilted his head slightly.

"Y-Yeah, Rachael got me one awhile ago. I didn't bring it with me though," Scarlet answered quietly between them so as not to disrupt some of those learning.

He huffed through his nostrils with his arms crossed over his arms. "Alright, I'll go get it from your room. Stay here." Gathering up his wind, Jin took off back towards Scarlet's bedroom.

Scarlet covered her head as the rough wind currants tossed her hair about. "Crazy ass demon," she mumbled to herself with a narrow of her eyes. Hearing an odd and eerie laughter hissing throughout the room, Scarlet looked up nervous. She could tell that the laughter was evil and a demon was about the area. The more she concentrated on the sound, the more it seemed to escalate with others. Bringing her head down, Scarlet rolled her hands up over her ears to make the disgruntled noises from piercing her skull.

A hand coming from behind her, the fingers gracing her shoulder caused Scarlet to jump and spin around to find it was just the high priest Justin. "Gracious, didn't mean to startle you." Justin blinked his eyes a bit startled by her reaction though he could sense why she was. "You must hear it all too. There are demons in the Study Hall." Sitting next to Scarlet, he opened his book down next to her that he was reading. "Don't worry, it will end soon enough. The rift may be a bit stronger between our world and hell, but not strong enough. Eventually the sounds will stop."

"I still am surprised some people can live like this," Scarlet whispered between the two of them. "Living in constant fear only to find out you may die and be raped and haunted in the afterlife…makes me wish I could just escape from here."

"You can try to escape, but even if you did successfully do so, your past would still be tied here." Justin rested his knuckles against his cheek, gazing down at the encrypted words in his high priest book. "It isn't exactly a place you get out of your dreams. The damned will always find a way to drag you back here if your soul is born here."

Before Scarlet could say anything else, Jin appeared once more with her book of shadows she left behind in her bedroom. "There you go!" Spying his high priest next to Scarlet, Jin smiled at him widely. "Hey, Justin, how are you?"

"Hey, Jin, I am doing just fine. By the way, some demons appear to still be loose about the temple," he felt need to warn the demon. Upon mentioning that, he saw Jin get serious and listen closely to what was going on. "Scarlet and I heard them moaning and laughing. Do we need to up the barrier further?"

Jin looked from the left to the right with a raise of his brow. "We might have no other choice but to. I don't plan on losing anymore of my worshippers."

"How goes the sealing of the portal?" Justin wondered as he knew the demons were working on that as well. The energy level of a C class demon catching his attention for a second, the high priest went stiff. "My Lord, directly behind me." He appeared almost afraid to breathe at that moment.

"Duck!" Jin demanded as he quickly shot one of his powerful gusts of wind at the ghostly spirit, obliterating its form. Taking a breath of relief, Jin looked back down at Justin to answer his first question. "Kurama and the others are still working on it. They think they might have an idea on how to seal it permanently, but they need the help of those who created it to begin with."

Hearing Jin say that, Scarlet thought of Silvia and the others. She often wondered how Silvia and Blossom were doing after losing contact with them for the past few days. Scarlet was snapped out of her thinking when Jin slammed his palm down on the book he had given to her to read. She frowned up at him in his method of snapping her out of her thought trance.

Jin pointed down to the book's first page upon opening it up. "Now, get to reading. If there is anything you need to remember or find important, write it down in your book of shadows. It will come in handy later on for you." Using his wind powers, Jin lifted himself off of the ground to sit cross-legged right before Scarlet. "If you need me, let me know."

_The book wasn't all that much to absorb. It talked about the pattern most slave women were given upon being baptized under the demons. It also depicted their important role to serve the demon they were baptized under. They were trained to bring food, drink, and often asked to dress the demon whenever he woke or was to perform certain ceremonies. They were also a primary source for energy feeding, so whenever they slept or were asked to physically, sexual ceremonies were performed for that._

_Their clothing was a strapless top in the colors of their master to appeal to the breasts (as most of the servants were usually female and rarely male, and in their case, they would wear no top) and piece of fabric to act as a belt about the waist to keep up the cloth, which hung between the legs in the front and the back that stopped about the ankles. The hair on women was always kept tied back in some form to keep it from being a burden to some tasks they would be asked to perform on command while the men would need to be shaven and their hair at least to their chin in length. In the past, however, the servants were given shackles on their wrist and ankles, chained together, as they were often abused if they didn't perform correctly in some manner, thus they were always trying to escape._

_Upon reading that part, I found it almost difficult to continue. It reminded me of the dairy that Jin had given me to read to tell me how awful the past used to be even if it was nearly 500 years ago when it all occurred._

When Jin noticed she had paused in her reading and almost threatened to close the book, he tilted his head to the side. "Did you finish already?"

"N-No," Scarlet answered rather nervously, looking off to the side for a moment. "I was just pausing for a second."

Jin placed his hands on his hips with a disapproving frown. "Then hurry up! I don't have all day to sit here waiting for you to finish! It isn't but 150 pages!"

Scarlet rolled her eyes a bit at his impatient attitude before looking back into the book.

--

It took nearly an hour or so, but Scarlet managed to finish the book Jin had offered her. She was asked later to follow the wind demon down the hallway back to his bedroom to discuss a few things. "So I basically have to just serve you?"

"That's what the title implies, yes," Jin responded nonchalantly. He guided Scarlet down the hallways back to his bedroom. Making it to his door, he opened it to allow the woman inside first before coming in behind her to shut it.

Scarlet was a bit hesitant to ask the next question, fearing the answer as she made it inside of the demon's bedchambers once more. Her hands close together and just under her chin, she looked over at the redhead. "Did you ever kill or beat any of your servants?"

Jin was closing the door behind him when he was caught off guard by that straight forward question. His eyes wide for a moment as he looked down at the floor from the shock of it, he frowned sorrowfully and shifted his sight off behind him with a bit of a growl. He didn't like to answer those kinds of questions—it was a reason he gave that old book to Scarlet. His blue eyes moving back to Scarlet, his frown a bit more serious and angry in appearance, he raised a brow at her. "Do you really want to know the answer to that?"

Straightening up, Scarlet nodded with a clear of her throat. "Y-Yes. I can handle it."

His sharp nails digging into the wood on the door, he tapped the tips against the woodwork. "Yes, I killed and beat many of them." Jin rested his back against the entranceway with his arms crossed upon his chest. "One of the servant girls I had under my care was only nineteen when she threatened to run from my temple one night into the fog surrounding Wind Knoll I thought I so gracious kept out of the town's way." The wind master closed his eyes having to remember that stormy night when the scrawny, blond haired teen was trying to run to what she viewed as safety. Her shackles were chiming and alerting Jin to where she was. "When I caught up to her, I wrestled her to the ground, breaking several of her bones to the point she couldn't move or had little desire to." He could remember the loud screams that echoed in his ears that night when he did successfully maim the blond girl. The toothy grin spread across his features that night almost made him sick to think about at that moment. "At that time I had little desire to touch any human with my body sexually, so I did with my spirit or with my hands. So with my hands, I basically raped and tore up her vaginal wall before the smell of her blood consumed me, and I devoured her."

Scarlet inhaled sharply, covering her mouth upon hearing him admit that to her. She took one step back towards his bed unable to believe the happy-go-lucky demon would ever commit such a horrific act. "And…she was only…19…!" Scarlet breathed in a rather panic. Backing up a bit more, the back of her legs met with the side of Jin's bed causing her rump to fall upon the covers. "How could you think of doing that!"

Jin brought his hands up slightly to look at them. "Ever since I was created thousands of years ago, I had not a caring notion in my mind when it came to the human race. Maybe some honor code was there but when it came to humans, I cared little. To demons, humans are nothing but cattle that can be used in different ways." He gazed up at Scarlet unflinching. "All of us demons felt that way at one time or another. I am sure a small part of us all still do." Jin smiled for a moment to try and lesson the fear he could sense was coming from Scarlet. "But, this was many years ago that all of this happened. Right now we are trying what we can before we are all re-judged or do somehow pass on."

"What-what would happen if that were to happen to you? Wouldn't we all be left open to an attack by the demons in this town?" Scarlet wondered in a bit of worry as she watched the wind demon come over to where she was.

Jin sat down beside Scarlet, placing his hand on her cheek. "If that were to happen then I would be reborn and need to be watched over to come back to help you all once more as I have. Truthfully, we are all trying to make sure most of the people in this town move on or out safely. We know that not everyone wants to live an eternity in the pits of hell while living or dead."

Scarlet looked away from Jin's blue eyes, finding herself unable to stare at them long without blushing lately. "Do you honestly think Koenma will allow you to be reborn in a pure form ever again after all that has and continues to go on here?"

"I don't know," Jin answered honestly as he brought his hand back to his side. "I guess 500 years of evil deeds compared to nearly 500 years of 'pure' acts is a fifty, fifty chance for me and everyone else."

"That is a long time to be alive and wait to be judged," Scarlet pointed out as she looked back at the wind demon upon finding the courage. "Why not wait 100 years and be judged again?"

Jin widen his eyes briefly at her comment before his body was overtaken with spasms of laughter. Opening one eye to look at Scarlet's confused expression, he raised his finger to her and shook it. "You would think it is that easy, hu? But let me tell you something, a demon doesn't age like that of a human. A demon can be 200 years old and still be the appearance of a 10 year old. We age much slower than you do. As far as judging goes, I have to first die in this form to be re-judged."

Scarlet was still confused. "So…why have you held onto the form you're in for so long?"

The playful nature of the demon stopping once more, he looked at Scarlet seriously. "Because, be truthful, if you had an all powerful body and could control one of the very elements given to this world, would you not want to live as long as you could?" Jin shrugged, twisting his frown to the side with his eyes closed. "If I am going to live to be 9,000 years old than I am going to see if I can. If I die, then I die when I do."

"It sounds like a part of you doesn't want to be re-judged again," Scarlet nearly whispered between the two of them.

"Like I told you back at Teresa's house, I haven't a reason to be in a rush to do so. I have little desire to recycle my spirit back into any other form. Anyway," Jin sighed as he slapped his hands together to rub them against one another. "Now, about that ritual you are oh so dreading. How do you want to do this?"

Scarlet's fingers tapped nervously upon the bedcovers beneath her, rolling her teeth over her lower lip. "Well…ummm…what are my choices here?"

Jin placed his index finger to his cheek. "Well, let's see. First thing is the cleansing ceremony, and we can either do that together or separate." He could see her about to be resistant to that idea. "But, let me tell you, being together will make things easier for you later on when I actually do have to see you naked and you me. I'll change with your back turned if you want me to."

"I guess that's okay," Scarlet said, rubbing the back of her neck. "Just a little nervous about the ceremony still, I do suppose."

The wind master chuckled. "That's only natural for a virgin. The next part would be me coupling with you. We can either do this in private or in the Breeding Room."

"Breeding Room?" Scarlet asked, finding the name a bit weird.

Jin shrugged, looking off to the side as if to avoid her gaze. "Long ago, we wanted to breed our humans to keep our numbers up. We had a room called the Breeding Room put in for them to do that. In the beginning, many were resistant to even doing that, so we forced them to by giving them medicines that would increase their desire to and paired most of our priest and priestesses up. Most of the medicines were made by Yoko Kurama and distributed amongst us. We would oversee their activities with one another and make sure the woman got pregnant. If the female never did, she was often deemed as unfertile and tossed out, being seen as worthless. But that was back in the darker times," he admitted as he lied back on his palms. "Lately it is used as that when humans want to, but so many will be in there at one time some people will refer to it as the orgy room."

"So in other words, we would be watched?" Scarlet felt need to understand before she came to any conclusions.

"Yeah, we would. It wouldn't be so private as there are usually some couples in there." Jin looked up at the ceiling for a second. "But, if you chose in private, we would be here in my bedroom."

Scarlet nodded quickly at the last suggestion. "I chose private then."

"Okay, last question." Jin brought his hands together and up to his mouth, thinking on how to word it. "Do you want Touya to be part of it as he is your other guardian?"

"Wh-What!" Scarlet exclaimed a bit caught off by that remark. "I cannot have two demons getting on top of me!"

"No, no, he won't," laughed Jin at her expression, which he found to be funny. "If he's here, he'll be something for you to hold on to if you want. Seeing as it is going to hurt, you're going to be dragging your nails somewhere and putting pressure on something. Do you want it to be him or you can do that on my back? I mean, he could hold your hand seeing as you're so nervous."

"Yeah, and I am nervous over the thought of being seen naked by another male!" Scarlet admitted defensively. "So to cure that you want to bring in another male? That seems a bit oddball!"

"Alright, alright, question answered," chuckled Jin as he rubbed the underside of his nose. "Just be warned that I might get aggressive if I get into my demonic headset. I've not been inside of a human female at all, so it might be an experience I may lose control over."

Scarlet felt a bit queasy in her stomach upon him saying that to her. She couldn't help but look down at his crotch area before looking back up at him with a raise of her brow. "How big are you anyway?"

Jin blushed a bit, scratching his cheek with his finger as he avoided eyesight with her. "Umm, well, you're better off not knowing that tidbit just now." When he saw Scarlet not being settled by that thought, he sighed a bit. "Let's just say when I was trying to get into pleasing my female worshippers physically, I have been turned down because my size scared them."

"But, wouldn't the spirit world copy that? What would be the difference?" The young woman wondered.

"It does and there isn't a difference. Even with my length and width, I can still fit inside of my worshippers no matter how big or small their depth is. It is possible." Jin stretched as if he were tired before lying back on his bed with a plop, massaging his forehead with a groan. "When I am in my physical form, some people just think there is a difference. I guess more pain is involved in physical, but don't quote me on that. You'll have to ask Touya." Jin looked over at the time to be sure it was nearing 3:30 PM. "Alright, dear, I need to get me a nap. I've been running ragged all day since I woke you up." Jin noticed Scarlet didn't really move or appeared hesitant to do so. "What's wrong? Are you going to be okay without me?"

"Y-Yeah, I just…don't want to sleep or nap by myself right now even though I want to," Scarlet admitted, rubbing her arms as they crossed over one another.

Jin sighed a bit as he rolled over on his bed to pat the empty space he created. He watched as she nervously took the opened spot after kicking off her shoes. When she lied down next to him with her back facing Jin, he reached over to place his hand over her side only to have Scarlet look over and almost stare him down nervously at him touching her. "I am not going to hurt you," he insisted in a whisper, wiggling his fingers, which were a few inches from touching her. When she appeared to relax a bit, he let his fingertips grace her hip before sliding it up to her side. She was still watching him as he did this. "See?" Jin said with a brief chortle.

Scarlet finally relaxed completely under his touch, rolling back over onto her side completely to let the demon's hand rest against her stomach. She stared at the door she could see from the bed the demon slept within. Holding the pillow close to her cheek, she heard Jin sigh heavily as if contently. Tempted to look over her shoulder at him, she did to find he had closed his eyes to start his nap. _Quick sleeper_, Scarlet thought as she tried to do the same though found it to be rather difficult with all the thoughts and concerns swarming her head dealing with the ritual and the closing of the portal.


	27. Chapter 27

_**Author's Notes**_: Or warning—depends. Anyways, the **last part of this story had to be chopped up, butchered, and reworded for the sex scene in it for fanfiction network**, so people on mediaminer are going to get the longer, wordier version. The link of which is in my profile to those of you who want to read it on fanfiction. I had to make this chapter a bit longer, because I didn't want to censor it and leave the edited version only 5 pages long. xP Anywho, enjoy.

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Kurama waited for the town clock to strike midnight as he watched the time from his bedroom balcony he was given. The clock chiming three times the hour, he released his grip on the marble railing to hurry back into his bedroom to meet with the priestess there. She was sitting on his bed, covered completely in a hooded robe. Kurama reached for her hands as he could sense her fear. The woman eyeing him, he smiled tenderly at her. "Don't worry. Nobody is going to hurt you." The fox demon helped the priestess stand. Kurama held onto her wrist gently as he led her towards his bedroom door. "This way, Blossom."

Blossom had been called to help seal the portal she had helped open and create over time unknowingly with the others. She was frightened that if she was spotted closing the seal, even at midnight where most of the people were at home or at the temples, Blossom would be beheaded.

With most of the temple asleep or off elsewhere, Kurama didn't have to worry about running into any of his priests or priestesses. The vines removing themselves from the front doors of the temple, the demon opened the large doors to escort Blossom out into the open. He held onto the candle he had lit before handing it to the priestess. "Go on now. We have to be there to seal this portal for good."

Staying close to the fox demon, Blossom held the lit candle closely as she made haste towards the area where the store once stood only to be nothing but burnt and destroyed merchandise and several piles of bricks thanks to the demons breaking free. The store's remains coming into view soon enough, Blossom stopped a few feet away to see other demons she never knew of before standing there overlooking the destruction and the portal. "Who are they?" She asked Kurama nervously.

Kurama looked over at Chuu, Suzuka, and Rinku with a smile. "They are friends of mine that wish to help."

Hearing Kurama's voice, Suzuka turned around to greet him with a serious nod. "Are the others on their way here?"

"I spoke to Hiei thirty minutes ago," Kurama explained as he urged Blossom forward to position herself near the wreckage. "He said he was on his way here with Patricia. Touya is unable to make it and Jin is tied up at the moment, so Shishi went to Touya's temple to bring Lydia and Maria."

"I guess we wait then," Chuu remarked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Are you sure we'll be able to do this without Jin and or Touya?" Rinku was a bit worried about trying to close the portal again without two other high level demons. He was keeping himself occupied in the mean time with his yo-yo, rolling it up and down on the string contently almost appearing not worried about the situation either way.

"As long as we have the ones responsible here, it shouldn't be all that difficult," Kurama said reassuringly.

"Then this better not be a waste of time," Hiei's voice barked angrily from the fog surrounding everyone as he made his appearance with Patricia. "I have had enough of these low level bastards coming into my temple to destroy what followers I have left. The smell of human blood is unappealing."

Patricia looked down at the small demon with a bit of pain in her heart that the demon she worshipped cared that little about everyone there. She had always been deaf to his words and never knew he felt such a way towards people. "It is a wonder why you even stay there if you despise us so much, my Lord."

Hiei casted a quick disapproving glare at the pink haired woman. In his eyes, he demanded that she was quiet. It was enough to make Patricia look away from him sorrowfully. "To every demon the smell of human blood is unappealing. It isn't just me." Hiei closed his eyes angrily as he pocked his hands in his black cape. "Maybe those other fools don't mind be catered to by the human race, but I find some of those here to be of little use to me even as servants."

"Hiei," Kurama scolded in a whisper to the fire demon. When the demon refused to say anything to him as he walked past the fox demon, Kurama looked to Patricia. He hated to see her so hurt by what she had discovered from being forced to see the truth and hear it as well. "Don't take his words too harshly, Patricia," he advised with a tender smile. "Hiei has his own ways of hiding his true feelings."

Feeling a familiar energy signature, Suzuka hurried across the rubble to make his way up a hill of remains from the store to look off in the direction he was sensing it. "Shishi is on his way here now with the others. Should we get started or something?"

"It is wise to wait for him," said Kurama as he focused on the energy as well. "We can't do this without all the girls here."

The fog parting once more, Shishi appeared with the three girls he had to retrieve. "Now that we're all here, let's get this over with. I am ready for the panic to stop already. The death toll keeps rising, and I have been working nonstop since this incident." He felt Silvia move slightly beside him upon him saying that. Shishi placed his hand upon her shoulder to keep her still and calm her.

"Alright then. Silvia," Kurama began, knowing it was her even under the hood. "I need you to stand right here to the north, and Shishi, you stand behind her." The fox demon made sure the two of them did as he asked before moving to Patricia next to escort her to the west with Hiei standing behind her. "Blossom, you'll stand to the south with me behind you in just a moment. As for you two," Kurama paused a moment to think on what to do with them as they both had the same demon parent. "I want, Lydia to stand to the east with Suzuka behind her, and Maria, you stand to the southeast with Chuu."

Maria looked over at the large demon with a rather nervous frown at his size. "So, what exactly are we supposed to do?" She asked as Chuu positioned himself behind her.

"Rinku, you're going to stay there off to the side in case we get attacked and need healing," Kurama said in completion to his instructions before turning his attention to Maria and her question. "You are going to seal the portal with Silvia as the lead to it. She was the one who opened it and led your gatherings, so she will lead the closing of the portal. The demons behind you will act as a barrier best we can while giving you our powers as well." The fox demon positioned himself behind Blossom at that moment. "Now, take one hand of the demon behind you and position the other out in front of you."

Blossom felt Kurama tap her shoulder eagerly to get her to take his open hand. She was hesitant but reached for it to hold onto tightly.

"We have to hurry with this," the redhead pointed out as some of the humans were acting a bit sluggish. "We don't know when a demon attack may occur, or when the portal will release more demons into this realm." When he saw everyone in position, he nodded at Silvia across from him and Blossom. "Silvia, begin the ritual."

Silvia opened her book of shadows, placing it on the ground to remember the closing ritual spell Shishi had taught her. She placed the book down at her feet to read from where she was standing. "The darkness of night that has consumed this world, depart from us now," Silvia began nervously. "Depart from the world now tainted in our joined crimson remains. Leave us from the hell you have created. Leave us and go back to your world of torment and madness."

The more Silvia continued, the more aggressive the winds became as did the eerie feeling creeping over the human females. When the females threatened to budge, the demons locked them back into place, not letting them leave behind what they had started. Blossom closed her eyes tightly as she tried to remain in place in front of the earth demon. As she remained there on edge, pain lashed at her right side causing Blossom to cry out in agony as her flesh was torn at quickly, causing her side to start to bleed. The scream itself caused Silvia to stop and Rinku to snap to attention.

Kurama smelt the blood and quickly covered the wound with his free hand to try and heal it himself. "Keep going!" He demanded eagerly as the winds were picking up worse than ever, forcing him to yell over them. "Rinku, heal her fast! Guys, raise your barriers!"

The glow illuminating from each of the demons in respective color, they began to guard the human women in front of them. Blossom tried to concentrate on the closing of the barrier though her sobs of pain made it difficult even though Rinku was trying to use his healing power to heal her back to normal. When she threatened to lose focus and break the circle, Kurama grabbed onto her shoulder tightly to shake her briefly, demanding that she stay focused.

"Depart from us now! Depart from our world and go back to where you belong!" Silvia yelled over the roaring winds. "Join me now, everyone in demanding their departure from this world and sealing the portal!"

"Focus on closing the portal while chanting!" Shishi called out in return.

As everyone in the group began to do so, the demons that were already loose in the town began to make their way towards the portal to prevent it from being closed. The weaker demons attempting to tear through the barriers raised by the other died right on the attempt while the stronger ones continued to claw away at it. The disgruntled sounds of the enraged demons catching the human girls' attention, the demons shook them back into focus.

"Stay focused! It will be done in five minutes!" Suzuka said over the howling winds and angry demons.

Rinku raised his barrier to prevent from being attacked as well as he stood beside Kurama just in case his aura barrier was broken. "There are too many of them! Once the barrier is down, they are going to kill us!"

Hiei growled angrily as he tossed his dark fire at a group of the oncoming demons to obliterate them. "If they want to fight after this then so be it!" He smirked before turning his attention back to the demon portal, which was growing smaller in size and weaker in energy.

"Depart from us now!" Silvia yelled once more in unison with the others in her circle.

The power of the portal becoming unstable for a moment, it erupted with a powerful explosion causing those in the circle to be blown back. The humans falling back against the demon guardians behind them, the demons in charge of the woman in front of them grabbed onto their weak forms to hold onto them tightly and block them from any possible attack.

"They're going to attack!" Rinku yelled as he got back to his feet. They had been surrounded from closing the demon portal and with their success, angered the demons even further. One of the demented beasts lunging for the yo-yo boy, Rinku covered himself with his arms waiting for the pain to be inflicted only to hear the creation of ice. Bringing his arms down, he was stunned to see the demon completely covered in ice.

"Touya!" Kurama expressed with a mixture of worry and relief.

The ice master was still weak and not up to his full health, but he had felt the commotion and was worried ever since his two worshippers took off under Shishi's orders. He was accompanied by his high priestess Jessica. Some of the demons turning to Touya, they lunged for him only to have the ice master raise his ice barrier about him and his priestess. "You will not cause more havoc then you have already!" He growled angrily at the disgruntled demons.

Desperate to save the ice master, Kurama unleashed his plants from the earth to coil about and prick the flesh of the monsters to the point it caused severe bleeding. "Attack them now!" He demanded to the demons protecting the human girls still.

Hiei blasted some of the oncoming demons with his dark fire again with Suzuka using his rainbow cyclone beside him. Rinku hurried behind Chuu to fight off what enemies he could for his lower power level, leaving most of the fighting to the taller demon.

Most of the demons were still determined to knock down Touya's barrier as he had appeared to have the most threat against them. Touya continued to keep his ice wall up only to fall to one knee eventually in exhaustion. His high priestess knelt down beside him in worry, trying to transfer some of her energy to him best she could. "My Lord, please don't fall! I am here for you!" She called out over the sounds of battle.

Taking in a deep breath, Touya tried to remain awake and well enough to stay alive. Kurama could tell the ice master energy was getting lower by the second and almost at the critical level. The fox demon made it over towards his friend to make sure he was okay. His hand resting upon Touya's shoulder, he knelt down beside him. "Touya, you shouldn't be here! You are still weak and very sick from the last encounter!"

"I am fine," he insisted as he tried to push himself back up to his feet.

"Keep it up!" Shishi yelled over the slaughtering of the angry monsters. "The waves are lessening!" Pulling out his banshee sword, the demon of death planted the sword into the ground, causing the dark souls he had under his control to erupt forth and tear through the last bit of demonic resistance that stood to confront them.

Hiei blasted through any others that dared to venture closer with Suzuka backing him up with his colorful attacks. When the demons did stop their assaults, the fire demon turned to Patricia to help the stunned woman to her feet. He cared little if she was alright as he turned to where the demon portal once stood. "At least that's over," Hiei said unenthusiastically.

"Is the portal closed?" Blossom asked as she got to her feet with Rinku's help.

Rinku looked over his shoulder at where the energy used to be to find it had dissipated. "It looks like it." Sensing Suzuka coming to his side to check as well, he smiled up at the blond. "Least we don't have to worry about many more flooding in, right?"

"No," panted Touya as he got to his feet slowly thanks to Kurama and his priestess, "but we do have to control those that are still loose in the town."

Kurama sighed with a nod of agreement before shifting his ivy, green eyes at Jessica. "Take him back to the temple. Don't worry about things here, Touya. We've got everything under control. One can only hope this will be the last of something like this." When Kurama said that last line, he shot a scolding glare at the girls who caused it. "You all should consider yourself lucky with all things considered."

The girls responsible looked at one another and lowered their heads. It was always bad when being scolded by your parents, but when it came to the demons that watched over them, it was more difficult to listen to. "We're sorry," Silvia said on everyone's behalf. "We didn't mean for this to happen… I only had my demon lord in mind when I was doing the rituals I did."

Shishi was silent hearing Silvia say that even though he knew it was true throughout the years she did her dark worship. "While some demons are attracted to negative energy, some aren't," he finally explained to his high priestess. "And while we thrive off of human energy, it doesn't mean blood is necessary from any human or animal." With Silvia quiet, he sighed with a roll of his eyes and waved her over. "Come on; let's get you all back to the temples."

"Chuu, Suzuka, Rinku," Kurama called out to the, his tone full of order. "I want you to stay here and make sure the portal is closed. If anything abnormal happens alert me at once."

"You can count on us, mate," Chuu assured the redhead with a nod.

Kurama smiled at the demon giant before helping Blossom back to the earth temple. He was hoping with the portal closed, everything would be slightly back to normal. No more senseless sacrifices would be made and no more frequent demonic attacks from demons of all levels. He pressed a bit of a smile, which conveyed relief.

--------------------------------

"Scarlet," a voice beckoned from her dreams as if to call her back from the dreaming world. "Scarlet, wake up."

Moaning softly at being disturbed, Scarlet's weary eyes gazed up at the high priestess who was trying to get her attention. She didn't recognize the priestess, even when everything came into focus. "Who are you? What do you want?"

The priestess removed the covers on Jin's bed to pull Scarlet from them. "My name is Christina, and I was asked to get you up and head you over to the Cleansing Hall." Even though the young servant girl was resistant to move, Christina made sure she did even if it meant tugging her down the hallway to their destination. "Come on! You're wasting valuable time, and the demon lord is waiting for you!"

"J-Jin is waiting for me?" She stammered in her words at the thought, waking up a little. "I didn't expect him to want to do this at this time."

The priestess raised a brow as she gazed over her shoulder. "It is almost noon! What time did you want him to do it?" She was a bit surprised at how late she was willing to sleep, finding her desire to sleep so much bizarre.

Scarlet didn't say anything to that as they were soon standing before the Cleansing Room's doors. She felt her heart starting to beat wildly at the thought of what was to follow and nearly bolted back to her bedroom. When she threatened to, the priestess grabbed her wrist quickly and kept her there beside her. "I think I've changed my mind!"

"Don't be that way," Christina grumbled as she kept Scarlet still. "It will be over and done before you know it." She opened the doors to make sure she only sensed the wind demon. "Alright, he's in there somewhere. Just go in there and don't be worried. He'll walk you through it. I have to be out here to make sure the doors are locked and closed until it is over." With Scarlet still showing hesitation about the matter, Christina practically pushed her in causing the scarred woman to nearly stumble over herself as she was forced into the Cleansing Room.

Hearing the doors close behind her, Scarlet panicked a bit only to be slightly relaxed by the voice of the wind demon behind her. "I see you finally decided to wake up," Jin replied as he made his way around the pillar he was hiding behind.

Scarlet looked over her shoulder, relieved to know he still had his clothing on. "More like I was forced out of bed." She sighed through her nostrils, resting her arms over her chest still holding her nervous stance. "So what should we do now? Do I need to get ready before washing myself off or something?"

Jin chuckled, "No. I will, umm, just stand over there." The wind master pointed to the western part of the building. "I'll keep my back turned, and I won't watch you get undressed. Just to make sure I don't turn around, you can watch me."

"You're not going to be undressing yourself….are you?" Scarlet wondered with a raise of her brow. "Because if you are, I'll take your word on you not watching me."

Throwing his head back, Jin laughed at her reaction. "No, I won't be changing in front of you." He rubbed the side of his nose with his thumb with a grin. "I will just stand there with my back turned." Jin moved his fingers towards him. "Come." Making his way over to the western wall, he walked up to the bench to grab a cup of water he had there. He took a sip before explaining again. "You will go in undressed first, and I will follow behind you when you're ready."

"Okay, I guess that's alright," Scarlet said with an anxious sigh.

Jin nodded towards the clear waters. "Are you ready?" He could sense Scarlet's fear alone in the situation, prompting him to smile to relax her. "It is going to be okay. I am not going to intentionally hurt you."

"Okay, okay, just turn around so I can get this over with," the woman begged eagerly.

Chuckling to himself, Jin did just that. His back facing her, he continued to drink his water he had a priestess grab for him. His pointed ears could hear the fabric rustling behind him as Scarlet got unchanged. "Don't be nervous," he said in attempts to break the silence as it was more deafening than anything. "I am not here to judge you, and you don't have to feel like you need to meet my expectations."

"Do demons even have expectations?" Scarlet asked as she removed her shirt and bra, tossing them off to the side, keeping her eyes on Jin's back.

"When it comes to humans, not really," Jin responded with a tilt of his head to the side. "Demons crave human interaction that they don't care what you look like so long as you're human." His water finished, he put it down on the bench in front of him. "We just enjoy humans that much though we don't want to admit it."

"If that's the case why didn't you touch anyone on this plain physically?" Her fingers worked on removing her bottoms next.

"Because I found them to be so beneath me that I didn't want to touch them with my physical body," said Jin with a sigh, hating to admit that. "It is a different thought when it is just my soul touching theirs. So this moment is going to be special for the both of us, I would think."

Scarlet kept her arms about her bare chest as she stepped into the cool water. Getting used to the temperature, she made it out to the center where it would cover up her chest at the very least. "Okay, I am in and undressed. Your turn."

"Okay, just stay turned around, and I'll get undressed." He peeked over his shoulder to make sure her back was turned before turning around to start undressing himself. "I am lucky that I don't have much clothing to get rid of." Jin pulled the straps down off of his shoulders before removing his belt and then stepping out of his pants after removing his boots. With his clothing off, he made his way towards the steps, which led into the water. "I am coming into the water now. Are you ready?" He watched Scarlet hesitantly nod before stepping down the steps into the water, making his way behind her. Jin brought his arms up out of the water to touch her shoulders, which stiffened under him. "It is okay," he assured her quietly as he nuzzled into her hair, his nostrils flaring to smell of her. "Your skin is so soft. I don't know why you'd want to cut it." Upon saying that, he moved his hands spontaneously down to her scarred arms.

"Don't!" Scarlet begged suddenly, pulling her arms quickly to her chest. "Please don't touch me there…"

"Shhh," Jin whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek to show affection. "I am not here to judge you. Besides, you look beautiful."

Hearing his words made her blush a bit though she remained nervous with her heart beating wildly. She tried to relax under his touch though finding it difficult. Taking in a deep breath, Scarlet rested backwards to place the back of her head and body upon his firm figure. Feeling something moving against her hair, she looked over at the demon, who was still putting love bites on her body, to find his elfin ears wiggling up and down. "Your ears can move like that?"

Pausing for a moment, Jin grinned a bit at her looking at his sensitive ears. "Yeah, they actually can be normal in appearance if I am not excited. They prick up and wiggle when I am excited or happy. Now, close your eyes. I am going to start pouring water on top of your head."

Scarlet nodded, doing as she was asked. She could hear the demon move the water before feeling the coldness of it grace her scalp. She hitched in breath finding it to be too cold at that moment before getting used to it over time. "God, that water is freezing! I am curious how some people could stand being baptized by Touya."

"Well, Touya's worshippers are baptized under him, because more than likely their spirit and bodies can handle his cold temperature," Jin assured Scarlet. "The priests and priestesses usually can create an ice barrier around them and their spirit when under attack, so that should tell you the temperatures they can handle. Besides, his temple is almost at a constant, low temperature all the time."

"It is going to be difficult for me then," Scarlet said, shivering just by thinking about it. "I have a low tolerance for cold."

"You say that, but I am sure being a worshipper of his you actually can tolerate a lot better than you think," said Jin with a smirk. "Now, do you want to turn around and cleanse me or do you want me to do it?"

Scarlet's heart nearly stopped at the thought of turning around to see him. _Get over it, Scarlet; you pretty much have to look at him later_, she thought to herself. "I'll do it." Scarlet closed her eyes tightly upon admitting that before turning around to look up at him. The demon stood a good head or two above her. "Well, you are a lot taller than I thought. I forget how much as I don't stand near you a lot."

"I am 6'5," Jin answered matter-of-factly.

Scarlet blinked a bit in surprise. "Wow, you _**are**_ quite tall."

Jin smirked a bit as he lowered his head so she could get the water to pour over him. "Just be thankful I am not Yoko Kurama as he stands at 7 feet." He closed his eyes when he felt the cool liquid mate with his wild hair. When it went about his scalp well enough, he threw his head back and shook it about.

"Wow, he's a giant then!" Scarlet remarked in shock.

"Most demons are compared to humans, but there are some exceptions," he felt need to point out referring to Touya. Jin shook his head a bit to cause his wet, red hair to fling some of the droplets of water about. "Okay, ummm," Jin paused for a moment wondering how to do this. "If you want, you can go ahead and grab your things, and I'll get Christina to take you back to my room. Don't put your clothes back on. Just stay wrapped up in the towel."

"What towel?" Scarlet asked nervously.

Jin thumbed over his shoulder. "I have one lying on the bench for you to take. Don't worry, I am not watching." He could see the look in her eyes that dealt with fear of him seeing her walk out of the water. When Scarlet was out of his eyesight, he kept focused on the water, listening as the young worshipper clearly made it out. "Let me know when you're covered up."

Walking to the bench, Scarlet found the towel Jin was referring to. Quickly she wrapped herself within the warm fibers though keeping her back to Jin. "I am ready now."

The water sloshed about as Jin removed himself from the cleansing waters to the marbled floors. His body dripping wet, he made it to the opposite bench to grab his towel to wrap about his hips. Jin knocked on the door leading outside of the Cleansing Room to get the attention of the priestess on the other side. "Christina, I need you to escort Scarlet back to my room now, please."

"Yes, sir," Christina replied as she opened the door to allow herself inside. The elder priestess made her way to Scarlet to offer her hand to the startled woman. "Come, I will take you back to the Lord's room."

Scarlet accepted Christina's hand. Even though she was led past the wind master, she averted her gaze still, feeling her cheeks burn with a dark blush. She kept her eyes upon the marble floor, her wet feet stepped upon before being stopped once again at the wind demon's door. Her heart beating so quickly, she thought for sure it was going to stop any moment.

"You wait here," the priestess insisted as she opened the door for Scarlet. "Don't put on your clothing. He'll be in here soon to start the ceremony with you. I'll be outside the door if you need me." With that said, the high priestess closed the door behind her.

Anxiously Scarlet waited for the time that passed. She watched the door closely, waiting for it to open to reveal the demon. When the doorknob eventually jiggled minutes later, Scarlet hitched in breath and straightened up upon the demon's bed. It was indeed the redheaded wind master as she believed it was. "Is there a reason you didn't want me to put my clothes back on?"

"Because what would be the point of you getting dressed only to be undressed later?" Jin chuckled as he kept just the towel on himself as well. "So, how do you want to do this? If you want, I can turn around again and you can crawl under the covers."

"The lights aren't going to be on…are they?" Scarlet wondered. She was sitting on the bed in a way to try and cover everything about her; especially her outward imperfections.

Jin's ears perked up slightly at the lights on in his room, looking up at his chandelier over his bed and some of the candles he had lit all about the room. "Well, they can go out if you want. Anything else I can do to make it more comfortable?"

Scarlet brought her legs closer to her chest. "I guess…not…really," she whispered to herself but loud enough for Jin to hear her.

"Alright, let me turn out the lights. If you want, you can crawl under the covers while I do so." The wind demon headed for the light switch to turn off his main light before walking around his room, using his wind powers to blow out the candles. When he was finished, he kept his back to the bed. "Are you ready for me?"

"Well, as ready as I'll be, I guess," Scarlet sighed as she slipped under the covers to hide her body from the demon further.

Jin turned back around to make his way back to his bed. His hands gracing the covers, he pulled up the part on his side to scoot closer to Scarlet. He was careful about his movements knowing she was a virgin and easy to scare. Jin moved his arm over her side to cup her back as he kissed and gently bit at her neck. "I don't know why you're so scared of me seeing your body. You look beautiful."

Scarlet closed her eyes and moaned softly at the tender bites and kisses he placed upon her pallid skin. "Th-thank you…!"

His hand sliding down to Scarlet's side, he paused a moment upon feeling her tense up. "Do you want to touch me?" Jin wondered if her actually feeling him would cause her to relax a bit. He witnessed her avoiding his gaze in the darkness as he suggested it. The demon tried to pick her eyes back up to meet his. "You can if you want."

A brighter blush formed over the virgin's cheeks at the thought, looking down at the small space in between them. "I am not…so sure that I can. I have never touched a guy before in such a way. I have no clue what to do."

Jin found that to be a bit odd as he raised his brow at her in the darkness. "Do you think demon men are any different from a human male, or do you really not know what to do?"

Scarlet shook her head with a bit of embarrassment in that fact. When she was growing up, she was never allowed to read or see such things, and it kind of embedded within her mind to the point she refused to. "I haven't read or seen anything about men or sex. I was always advised against it growing up that it got to the point I never cared thinking about it." She paused for a moment as she gazed upwards at Jin. "Besides, I never thought any man would care to go that far with me…let alone a demon."

The demon smiled a tender smile in the dark. "Then let me help you."

-----

Jin removed himself from her body completely, reminding himself she wasn't stretched to take him for so long. "You're bleeding a little bit," he grunted as he reached for his nightstand to pull a few tissues to wipe it up from his covers and from Scarlet. "Do you feel okay?" Jin asked as he reached over to stroke her head. "It wasn't too bad, was it?"

"I am fine," Scarlet answered wearily as she turned to Jin once he lied down beside her. "I am just a little sore right now."

"You're going to be sore for a little bit." Jin watched as she came closer to him. A bit confused as to what she wanted to do, he raised his arm a bit so she could rest her cheek upon his warm chest. "I forget that endorphins release on this plain that cause you to want to cuddle. I am so used to doing spiritual, sexual interaction."

Scarlet looked up at the demon for a moment before just gazing past his side. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, no, I don't mind," Jin whispered as he placed his arm around her to rub her back. He was about to close his eyes for a moment to relax himself until hearing Scarlet call his name softly. The wind master opened one wearily. "Mmm?"

"I know this is kind of a personal question but, how big are you?" The human woman wondered as she rubbed his side in return.

Jin released a brief, muffled chuckle as he brought his right arm up to rest on his forehead for a moment. "I am eight inches long and two and a half wide."

Scarlet's jaw almost dropped upon hearing how big he could become when aroused. "Wow…two inches wide? That is as big as my wrist!" She looked up at Jin with a raise of her brow. "You didn't get that much inside of me…did you?"

The wild red hair shook about as he answered her question. "No, I got at least six inches before deciding that was enough for you. You'll have to get used to me before I can completely come inside of you." He rested the back of his head back upon the tasseled pillow on his bed with a smile. "I hope I am not surprising you with the notion you may be doing this more than just now. You did read that book entirely, right?" He rubbed between his eyes with a sigh through his nostrils to regain his composure. "As a servant under me, you'll be sexually pleasuring me too and be my main source of energy."

"But…I am drained as is," Scarlet felt need to say, looking into his deep, blue eyes. "How can I possibly give you enough to satisfy you?"

Jin turned his head to the side with a smile as he gazed down at her out of the corner of his eye."What do you think the point of my training you is? It is to get you physically ready for such a challenge." He closed his eyes once more with a stretch. "Now, you should sleep easy, so don't worry about anymore hunters coming after you. I marked you with my energy and scent, so it means 'hands off' for other demons."

Scarlet nodded as she nuzzled into Jin's muscular chest. "Thank you, Jin. I think I am going to go ahead and sleep for a bit."

"I am with you on that one," Jin agreed as he rested his chin upon her head. "Sleep well, Scarlet. Try to relax for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow we are back onto your schedule."

Closing her eyes, Scarlet felt a bit safer next to the wind demon as well as knowing he had marked her to the point no other demon would dare try to attack her without Jin coming to her aid. Her body still slightly aching, she tried to ignore it as she slept in his bed with him throughout the afternoon.


	28. Chapter 28

Scarlet, for once, slept peacefully in the demon's bedchambers. No abnormal and harmful events befell her during her slumber. She was woken in the middle of the night by subtle voices just outside of Jin's bedroom. Opening her gray-green eyes, she saw in the dimly candlelit room that Jin wasn't there any longer making her curious at first where he went until the conversation outside caught her attention. Removing the covers from her body, her feet hit the cold, tile flooring. As she put pressure into her lower legs, she sat back down to relax after the pain raked through her body from having to go through intercourse with the wind demon.

"How is the portal?" Rachael's voice asked from behind the door.

"So far the demons guarding it haven't said anything about anymore demons coming through the area," Kurama said in return. "I was to tell Jin this, but seeing as he's not here…"

"He is probably out about the town," said the high priestess softly. "He left me here to make sure Scarlet is okay. If you want, I can deliver your message to him for you."

"Thank you. I would like that, Rachael." The fox demon was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "Just be alert. There are demons still free in this town. A good many of them poured into this world when that portal opened, so don't let your guard down yet."

"I won't. Thank you, Kurama." With the conversation finished, the high priestess opened the door to Jin's bedroom to allow herself inside. Seeing that Scarlet was awake, she smiled at her. "Oh, hello, Scarlet. I see you finally woke." Rachael made her way over to the bedside with a tray of food she had taken from the Dining Hall. "I was asked to give this to get you to eat at least before you go to bed for the night."

Scarlet managed a nod as she moved some of her streaked hair behind her right ear. "Where is Jin, Razz?"

"Oh, he's out and about," Rachael answered vaguely as she stirred up some of the hot foods to help cool them down a bit. "He said he needed time to sit and think for a bit. He has those moments."

Scarlet brought her knees to her chest with the covers wrapped about her body a bit. She was apparently given one of Jin's larger t-shirts as a nightgown for the moment to cover her body up. "Is-is he okay?"

Rachael looked up at Scarlet to see the worried look on her face. "Oh, yes, of course! He is just fine. I am sure he's just keeping himself in check is all." Moving the tray over to Scarlet, she handed the fork over to her as well. "There you go."

Taking the fork into her hand, she poked at the rice and new potatoes on the tray with cream spinach. "I guess this is all I get?" Scarlet thought as she was feeling hungrier than usual after having some of her energy drained and eaten from.

The high priestess shrugged a bit with a tilt of her head as she made sure Scarlet was going to eat. "Well, actually, Jin has it in mind to have you gain a bit more weight, so he'll be increasing your food intake the more your stomach gets used to eating heavy portions."

"Gain weight?" Scarlet was a bit surprised by that as she ate some of the white rice on her plate. "Exactly how much weight did he want me to gain?"

Rachael giggled a bit as she witnessed Scarlet's shock. "Well, I would say he has in mind for you to be at leas 150? Believe it or not, when it came to his servants in the past, a good many had a decent amount of meat on their body. Some were tiny, but he always worried he would hurt them."

"Wonderful," Scarlet grumbled as she continued to eat. "But what if I don't want to gain that much weight?"

"Well, then, knowing him, he'll force-feed it to you," said Rachael with an innocent shrug. "It is always best not to go against his rules. He can be forceful if he has to."

Scarlet merely sighed as she worked on her potatoes next, continuing to think of Jin being alone. "With him being by himself—it isn't something I did, is it?"

'Razz' shrugged slightly as she lied down on Jin's bed as well halfway. "Well, partially. He has never taken a human woman before in the physical plain, and it was quite overwhelming for him. He went out to control himself and not drain you of more energy." She waved her hand slightly. "Don't worry about him. He'll be okay."

The silver fork Scarlet had continued to poke around at the food a bit as she was never used to eating as soon as she woke up. It took her stomach awhile to open up to food. "So the portal is closed for good?"

"That is what Kurama said," Razz remarked as she looked over her shoulder at the door from whence she came from earlier. "The girls who opened the portal to begin with were used to close it with the demons there to guide and protect them." The high priestess turned her focus to her manicured finger nails to pick at some of the nail polish. "But there are still demons on the loose. We need to be careful." Rolling over, Rachael made it back to her feet with a slight stretch to the ceiling. "I think it is about time for me to turn in. When you're done with your food, just put the tray on the floor or something. I'll come by and pick it up early in the morning."

"Okay," Scarlet practically whispered as she watched the high priestess head for the door. When Razz waved goodbye, she did the same in return with a weak smile before turning back to the food in her lap. With nobody there to obligate her into eating, she pushed the tray to the floor anyways to look about the area around her.

The candlelight danced about the dark room, cascading obscure figures on the opposite walls. It put Scarlet slightly on edge as some of the figures almost seemed to take shapes to those of disfigured humans. Holding tightly onto the covers, she brought them closer to her chest in a bit of fear, hoping the shadows were just that and nothing more. Every little creak of the floorboards and groaning of the walls made goose bumps cover Scarlet's arms.

"Maybe I should just read until Jin gets back or something," Scarlet thought as she reached for one of the books she was assigned from Razz. Just as she had brought one of them into her lap, she paused for a moment as the door to Jin's bedroom began to steadily slide open with a long and eerie high-pitched creek. "J-Jin…?" She called from where she remained in the bed.

Nothing came from the darkened hallway at first until moments later, a low-deep growling sound emitted from the doorway. A harsh wind blowing within the bedroom caused all of the candles to go out and leave the room in total darkness.

Upon hearing the disgruntled, beastly sound, Scarlet dropped the book and froze within the wind master's bed. The tapping of what appeared to be claws could be heard against the tile flooring. The sound got closer and closer only to stop for a moment—probably inches from the bedside—to have another deep and angry growl emit from the darkness. Biting her lower lip and closing her eyes tightly, all she could do was sit there with fear overwhelming her. _It is another of those demon dogs. I just know it…! _Scarlet thought with panic.

The growling from the dog turned into a rather nasty barking. The beast sounded furious—as though it would leap on Scarlet any minute and tear her limb from limb. Blood dripping from the guardian of Makai's gates tapped upon the floor as he stood there waiting to leap up and take action upon the frightened human. His pointed ears catching the sound of Scarlet's displeasure in him being nearby, the hell dog put all its power into his legs and leap up towards the bed with another loud bark, prompting Scarlet to scream as she raised her arm to block the beast from biting into her neck or anything else.

His teeth biting into her flesh caused her to scream louder in agony as she could feel the hound meant no remorse for what he was doing to her. In fact, he bit down several times upon her skinny, scarred arm as if she were just a chew toy to him. "Get off of me!" Scarlet screamed in tears trying to shake the demonic beast from her. "**HELP**!"

Suddenly the dog let out a rather pitiful yelp in pain, causing it to release Scarlet's arm. "Get off of her, you damn beast!" Jin's voiced demanded in the darkness of the bedroom. "I mean it!" The wind demon repeated in the shadows as he rose his right arm again, threatening to smack the dog once more. "Get out of here before I kill you!"

The demon dog whimpered several times, as if it had been scolded by its master. The decayed head of the dog lowering, he tucked its rotted, boney tail in between his legs before makes his way back into the pits of Makai.

Jin could be heard sighing in the darkness. His outline coming out a bit better to Scarlet as her eyes were adjusting to the lightless room, she witnessed him shaking his head. "Are you okay?" Jin asked as he headed to one of the blown out candles to relight it with a match.

Scarlet held onto her blooded arm, flinching from the pain that it would bring her if she allowed the wind to grace her wounds. When the candlelight was shown on her injury, she couldn't look at it herself without wanting to get sick in her stomach. Blood had seeped through her fingers to the point it got all over her right hand and a good bit onto the covers beneath her. "God, this hurts…!" She hissed in pain, closing her eyes tightly and hitching in breath at the agonizing hurt striking her body.

The wind master quickly put down the candle on the nightstand before sitting down on the bedside. Ripping part of the white shirt he had on, he began to wrap up her blooded arm with a sigh through his nostrils. "You may have to get one of the nurses to look that over for you. It looks like he bit you rather deeply and with meaning."

"What are those things?" Scarlet asked sorrowfully through her tears of pain.

"They are dogs of Makai. They guard the entryway into the Demon World and to the world of Hell," Jin explained as he tried to help put a bit of pressure on the wound to help slow the bleeding. "When you overdosed that one time, the dog was coming to guide your spirit to hell as well as help end your suffering by eating your physical body alive to get to your spirit. I am sorry that they have been attacking you lately, but the reason they are is because your energy is so weak. They assume you're waiting to die."

"Did they ever come to Teresa like this?" Scarlet asked as she tried to accept the pain.

"Several times," Jin answered with a sigh at remembering them trying to sneak into Teresa's home. "But, I ended up putting a barrier around her home, so they wouldn't make it inside to her. Same for the undead you saw creeping about her house." He placed his hand tenderly on Scarlet's head for a moment. "Looks like I may have to do that with your room and mine when you are here. Now, wait here while I go fetch one of the nurses. You need to be tended to. You just might need stitches." The wind master raised his hand for a moment as he parted from Scarlet's side. "I'll be right back. Just wait right there."

"Hurry," the young woman whimpered as she kept the fabric about her bleeding arm.

A little while later, Jin was able to return with one of the nurses who worked under him. The hooded woman used her healing abilities to sooth the pain a bit as she looked over the injured arm. "Well, the hellhound sure did get her good," the woman sighed. A bit of her curly, blond hair bounced from the hood, which covered most of her face and features. "I will have to stitch her up before she goes to bed."

Scarlet shook her head several times at the thought of being stitched up. "No, no, no…! I don't take well to such things as that!"

Jin sighed at Scarlet resisting the idea. "You have no other choice. Here, let me help you." Placing his palm a few inches from her forehead, he sent a burst of power into the woman's body. The power overwhelming her, Scarlet fell limp against Jin's arm, which was resting behind her. "There," he whispered to the nurse as he helped the passed-out Scarlet down to his silken pillow. "Now you can stitch her up. She'll be out for awhile."

"Yes, my Lord," the nurses whispered as she reached for her medical kit, which had what she needed.

The wind demon let the woman tend to Scarlet's open wounds as he lied down beside his servant girl. A sigh passed through his nostrils, which he flared slightly, gazing at the injured woman's peaceful expression. He tapped his index finger upon her nose gently as a smile spread across his face. "You will be fine," he whispered to Scarlet tenderly. Supporting his head on the back of his left hand, he moved the other over the sleeping human's stomach. "I promise."

_In time, everything was a bit better. With my arm stitched up, I wasn't able to go back to much of my schedule as Jin had hoped. He did make me study my duties as a servant girl, however, under him. He also prompted me to attend to my appointments I had with Donovan at the clinic whenever I was scheduled._

_When my arm eventually got better, I was able to start my physical training once more. I wasn't that into it just like before. It took me a good many months to get used to getting up and running a mile almost every morning with Jin there beside me. Sometimes the airhead would even fly ahead of me leaving me behind for a moment only to come back and glide beside me. He would sometimes even fly on his back, as if he were resting on top of pool water with his arms behind his head. I always felt like he was such a showoff, but a part of me couldn't help but feel quite close to him._

Snow had covered the ground by several inches in the winter of Wind Knoll. Scarlet couldn't help but gaze out the window of the Lakeside Hospital to watch it fall that Friday afternoon with a smile. It would soon be December, her favorite month, and she couldn't wait for the Christmas decorations to come out to decorate the demon infested town. It was the one time of the year she often forgot about the tainted soil Wind Knoll was built upon.

"Scarlet," Donovan called for the second time to get her attention.

"Y-Yes? Sorry," She apologized, blushing a bit with embarrassment at being caught daydreaming again.

Donovan Ross couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he shifted his weight to the back of his chair, pressing the pen he had in his possession to the corner of his mouth. "You seem quite distracted lately." He nodded slightly at the window she was gazing out, his straight, brown hair moving slightly from the position he had it behind his ear when he did so. "I have never seen you so intent on gazing out at the snow."

"Well," Scarlet began as she looked back out the window once more with a bit of a smile, "I know Touya makes it snow in his own hidden attempts to have fun and manipulate the winter weather, but it is almost Christmas time too."

"Ah, so you're a Christmas person. You like getting gifts, I would guess, or is it another reason why you like it?" Dr. Ross grunted as he shifted his weight about the chair he was sitting within, listening to what Scarlet had to tell him just out of a slight breather for her discussing her personal problems.

Scarlet shrugged slightly at the thought of gifts. "Well, gifts are nice, but back when I used to live with my dad, I hardly got anything from him. He saw Christmas as a waste of time, and when my mom was ill, we didn't have the money to do much about them either, so I haven't had a real Christmas in some time. But, regardless, I came to really like just the decorations and the holiday cheer." When she could see Donovan hinting the snow as well, she laughed a bit and nodded. "Yeah, and the snow that Touya brings."

"You know, the funny thing about Lord Touya, is he has a tendency to make ice sculptures during this time of year." Donovan pointed his pen tip at Scarlet with a raise of his brow. "He litters them about the town; especially around the Philner Orphanage and Garner's Children's Hospital. He usually creates doves, Christmas trees, and reindeer for them."

"Oh, I didn't know that," Scarlet admitted, placing her finger to her mouth. "But then again, both of those places are clear across town. I never venture to that part of Wind Knoll."

Donovan moved a few of the pieces of paper he had on his clipboard to jot a few more things down. "Well then, it should be something for you to see next time you're looking to take a nice jog with Father Jin." Looking up from the paper to Scarlet, he smiled at her. "I have to say, you've come quite a long way since we first met. Your appetite sure did pick back up and your energy is better as well thanks to the Wind Lord helping you exercise and get on a daily schedule."

Scarlet looked off to the side with a slight smile and a shrug. "Well, let's hope it stays that way. It is nice not to be tired all of the time."

"And the fish oil tablets are helping you, are they?" There were fish oil tablets, a natural way for Scarlet to be rid of depression, that Kurama had suggested to be prescribed when Jin ran into the other redhead three months ago. He suggested the medication to Donovan, leaving Donovan to suggest it to Scarlet to have her try it. "You're not as easily angered or depressed or anything, are you?"

"No, everything is fine," she answered honestly as she swung a bit back and forth in the chair she was within. The leather beneath her squeaked a bit as she did so.

Donovan finished jotting a few more things down before ripping a slip of paper off to hand to Scarlet as he excused himself from his chair to help her to her feet. "Give that to Jin. Also, I guess I'll pencil you in for next Monday—same time and same place?"

Taking the slip of paper she was given, Scarlet waved over her shoulder as she made it to the door. "Of course! Sounds good to me. I'll see you next week, Dr. Ross."

"Take care of yourself, Scarlet," said Donovan as he turned back to a few papers on his desk to attend to them before his next appointment.

The front doors to the Lakeside Hospital sliding open automatically, Scarlet wrapped herself up in the furry coat she was given by Justin as a gift for her twenty-fifth birthday that year. Making her way back to the Wind Temple, she couldn't help but stop for a moment to stare towards the direction of the Ice Temple. "It has been some time since I last saw Touya. I've been so busy with Jin lately, I never got to check up on him after the incident with the demons attacking his temple several months ago."

Opening the doors to the Ice Temple, Scarlet nervously made her way through the rather busy shrine. Many of his worshippers and people who praised him were about the hallways talking back and forth about the great winter. A good majority of them didn't seem that bothered by the winter weather, and seemed to wear only thin pieces of long-sleeved clothing. _It is just as Jin told me_, Scarlet thought as she made it past the curtained doorway entrance to the left of the temple's foyer. _Most of Touya's worshippers can stand the cold just like he can._

One of the high priests of the Ice Temple couldn't help but have a feeling Scarlet was searching for something as he caught a glimpse of her in the hallways littering the place of worship. "Can I help you, miss?" The elder gentleman asked.

Scarlet stopped in her footsteps when she realized he was speaking to her. "Oh, hello," she greeted him with a slight nod. She looked up at the slightly balding man with brown hair, which was threatening to turn silver, it appeared. "I was wondering if the Ice Lord, Touya, was here today."

The high priest checked the time on his wrist watch before pointing down the left hallway further up the corridor they were within. "Yes, he is probably out back in the ice garden. If you take a left and go down that hallway and take a right and then another right, you'll come to a door almost covered in frost on the outer edges. That will lead you to the garden outside he himself watches over."

"Thank you, sir," Scarlet said hastily, wanting to see this garden for herself. Picking up pace, she made it quickly down the corridors he instructed her to take. The door he described soon coming into view, Scarlet touched the cold handle to open it and allow herself out into the winter garden. Her jaw dropped as she saw the many flowers and trees sparkling in different hues of blue ice all about her. As she continued her way through the backyard, she couldn't help but stop and gawk at a very large, glistening Weeping Willow that was sculpted perfectly in place. Getting closer to it, she touched it with her fingers to find it was indeed made completely out of ice and was rather sturdy. "Wow…," she whispered to herself as she stared at the tree from top to bottom.

Scarlet's attention was soon pulled from the tree to a fast paced melody filling the air suddenly. Moving from the willow down the path before her covered in snow, she kept her fur coat tightly about her as Scarlet soon made it to a small clearing to find Touya there playing the violin. She watched from a few feet away as the ice master concentrated on the notes he was to play. His narrow eyes closed to do so and ignore everything around him for a moment, she watched Touya sway slightly from side to side and wiggle his left finger tips upon the strings to have the melody go up and down slowly and suddenly only to pick back up pace once more into a hasty, hypnotic trance.

Touya continued his violin performance until hearing the snow crunch beneath Scarlet's feet, causing the strings to screech an awful tone as he came to a halt. The narrow eyes of the ice master landed upon Scarlet as he pulled the bow from the violin's strings. "Did you need me, Scarlet?"

"I am sorry. I didn't meant to disrupt you," Scarlet insisted as she made her way closer to the ice master. "What was that song you were playing?"

"Beethoven's Fur Eilse," Touya answered simply as he placed the bow back upon the strings to start playing a few more bars of the song.

Scarlet wasn't into the classic music scene. She couldn't help but find the name to be all too foreign to her even if the name probably popped up a few times at her local high school and middle school classes, but she held little significance in him and his music. "Eh-who?"

Touya rolled his eyes as he continued to play and listen to Scarlet at the same time. "I swear, you humans have little interest in the fine arts." He closed his eyes once more to feel the melody he was playing. "So did you need me for something?" Touya wondered once more.

"Well, I was just in the neighborhood, and I thought I would stop by," Scarlet answered honestly as she looked about the garden, still in awe over it. "Did you make all of this yourself or are they real trees and things frozen over?"

Pausing once more in his attempts to continue his song, Touya put the violin down to outstretch his hand, curling his fingers slightly to cause the snow and ice to mix together and create an ice sculpture of, what looked to be, a small Cherry Blossom tree. "Does that answer your question?" He asked as he hopped down from the slight hill he was playing upon to stand beside Scarlet. "No living thing can live in my ice. Once a tree or living organism of any kind is trapped within it, it starts to slowly decay and die." The ice demon made his way over to one of the many dark blue roses in the garden to touch it and cup the flower as if it were real. "With my garden, I can create imitations of life and not have to worry about coming out to tend to it in the horrible heat. I wouldn't want to get sick tending to my own garden."

"But wouldn't it melt in the spring and summer months?"

Touya shook his finger at Scarlet with a slight wink. "Remember that ice rose I gave you and what I said? This is demonic ice—it cannot melt or shatter unless I die."

Scarlet knelt down a bit to get a closer look at some of the different flower mutations he had managed to imitate with his demon ice. "Wow, that is insane," she whispered between the two of them as she touched the icy pedals on one. "I guess you can even create just about anything you wanted with your ice then, eh?"

Twisting his mouth to the side and looking upwards with a hum at her attempt to challenge him, he raised his right hand again, curling his fingers slightly to invoke the energy he needed to create a new imitation for her to see. The ice bending and hardening into two figures, Scarlet witnessed as the ice moved as though it were alive to make a lifelike sized doe and fawn. He watched as Scarlet was enamored by the realistic looking wildlife. "Neat, hu?" He pocked his right hand into his pants pocket as he looked down at the amazed Scarlet. "During this time, I get to create all the creations I want and more. I also get to add things to my garden."

"I never would have imagined that demons would enjoy using their powers for such things as this," Scarlet admitted aloud as she pocked her hands as well to keep them warmer from the cold.

"Well, with the demonic attacks lessening, I don't really have much else to do lately," said Touya as he headed for the temple. "Come, you must be freezing." On their way back to the comfort of his shrine, the ice master spoke of the other demons. "Even Kurama has his own rose garden at the Earth Temple. He uses his demonic energy to keep them growing and help them flourish no matter what." Making it to the temple door, Touya held it open for Scarlet, allowing her to enter first before coming in behind her.

"It sounds like you two have a lot in common," she stuttered as she made it inside of the temple, relieved to feel less of the cold from outside. Scarlet continued to hold onto herself tightly to try and keep herself warm.

"In a way we do," said Touya as he waved down the connected hallway. "This way." With Scarlet following behind him back to his room, he continued. "Kurama is a bit more intellectual and easier to talk to than most of the other demons around here. Jin can be easy to approach, but he is not so intelligent—well, not unless he wants to be." Touya stifled a slight chuckle against the back of his hand at just comparing the two. "Kurama is into gardening and playing the piano, and sometimes I get together with him to play my violin. Jin can play the flute, but he doesn't necessarily like to carry a tune with two other people." His bedroom door soon within sight, he opened the door to allow Scarlet on inside before following behind her once more.

"Well, Jin is just different, I guess you would say," Scarlet said as she thought about him. Looking up at the ceiling for a moment, she didn't realize that she was smiling a bit at just mentioning his very name.

Touya, however, caught it as he was placing his violin back down in the corner of his bedroom. Tilting his head slightly to the side to catch her out of the corner of his eyes, he grinned mischievously. "I see—I guess that ceremony went rather well when it came to making you a woman."

Hearing him say that caused Scarlet to snap to attention, and she couldn't help but blush a very dark red. "You're so rude! You know that he was going to do that, and he did it several months ago!"

Placing the side of his hand just under his nose, Touya attempted to prevent himself from even sharing a smile in the matter, but he couldn't help it even though Scarlet was getting mad at him. "Forgive me, but I couldn't help but notice something in your tone that suggests you took quite a bit out of it than what he gave you." He watched as Scarlet only continued to get redder as she turned to look away from the ice master. "Don't be so embarrassed. Many people in your position get that way towards their demon guardians." Raising his index finger, he smiled brightly as if in attempts to lighten her mood. "You should see some of the servant girls under Kurama. So many of them fawn over him and cannot get enough of his attention—that poor man can hardly find a moment's peace. The same can even be said for some of the men in his temple. A lot of his worshippers treat him like a Greek God."

Scarlet turned her attention back to Touya, though still looking slightly irritable as she had her arms across her chest. "And what about your worshippers?"

Touya shrugged with a bit of a smile. "Well, there are some that are quite fond of me, but like I said, being an ice master isn't all that it is cracked up to be." To demonstrate his point, he made his way over to Scarlet to place his hand upon her cheek, causing the woman to draw back quickly at the cold touch that almost seemed to burn her skin. He showed his palm to her at that moment. "My touch is quite deadly, and while I know there are some willing to put up with it a great deal to keep me going, I don't want to risk their lives for me to feel satisfied." Turning from the startled woman, he made his way over to his desk to look through a few sheets of papers. "So, did you really just want to drop by and see me or is there something else on your mind?"

Continuing to rub the area he just touched, Scarlet looked off to the side a moment before gazing at the back of the ice demon as he took great interest in whatever was in front of him. "Touya, I was curious about my position in your temple as a priestess."

"What about it?" He asked simply as he began writing responses to the prayer letters before him.

Scarlet bit at her chapped, lower lip slightly, shifting her attention down to the floor to almost appear nervous in asking what she was about to. "Would it be possible for me to take on that task and the one Jin has entrusted me with?"

Touya paused in his writing for a moment to look off to the side a moment to focus completely on what she had to say to him. "It is possible. It would just be a new responsibility for you." He was quiet for a moment as was Scarlet. "But let me ask you something." Here he turned around in the chair he was sitting within to face her. "Are you doing this because you want to serve me or are you doing this for some other selfish purpose?"

Even if it had been nearly seven months since she last spoke of her mother around Jin or the others, it didn't mean Scarlet had given up on her desire to see her and talk to her once more. Taking in a deep breath, she shook her head while pressing her fingers to her chest. "I want to do this not just for you, but I want to do it to make my mother proud. I know before she died, she was working her hardest to get me ready for my priestess role, but I failed her." Scarlet opened her hands slightly, motioning as she continued to speak to the ice master. "I didn't mean to chastise you for her death. I am sorry for that. But, if I am dragged to hell with her, I want to be there with her and let her be proud of me."

The cold, icy orbs of the demon shifted from Scarlet for a moment before making their way back to where she stood. Pushing the chair back, Touya got to his feet and made it over to Scarlet to hold onto her gloved hands. "I will make you a deal," he whispered between the two of them. "First, I want you to make sure that this is okay with Jin as you have a whole new connection with him now. If it is okay with him, I will allow you to start your training here." He raised his finger to Scarlet as if to begin scolding her. "If you manage to keep up with your training here, I will show you something that you may be interested in."

"What…?" Scarlet was curious to know as she furrowed her brow in bewilderment.

"There is a memory I keep hidden away that deals with your mother's birthing you here as well as her death at your house." Seeing the young woman was confused still, he explained. "There is a special room within this one that holds a few memories of mine. Each one is encased and kept safe there. Each memory I can project upon a special mirror Suzuka made for each of us with some help of the date and such that the memory occurred. It helps each of us to keep track of very important goings on in our temple and keeps records of our worshippers from the past. Very handy trinket."

"You can show me all of that?" Scarlet wondered almost breathlessly as she felt as though she had been gut punched with excitement.

"Yes. The mirror reflects every bit of memory within us on everyone we encounter. Even if we think we've forgotten something or someone, that mirror can still pick it up." Touya released Scarlet for the moment and stepped back. "But this is only if you want to do this and are willing to put up with this new challenge." He turned on his heels and made it back to his desk to sit back down to continue writing. "It is wise you find out all the facts and whatnot before considering jumping into it, however. Truthfully, I would like to have you back as I lost many of my worshippers in that massacre. So just let me know what you wish to do."

Scarlet couldn't find her voice for a moment as she looked about the room quickly before inhaling sharply with several quick nods. "Y-Yes. I will do that!" With that said, she was able to find her feet again as she hurried out of the ice demon's bedroom to make it back to the Wind Temple.


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Notes**: Yeah, sorry about disappearing off of the face of the earth for awhile. What happened was I got a new computer to replace this POC that is virus infested and very low on memory to one that is superior in every way. However, the new one refused to work and my dad has been working tirelessly to try and get it to. The people, who are trying to 'help', if you want to call it that, keep getting shit screwed up.

Also I was taking a slight break because someone had it in for me lately, and I was waiting for them to grow up and move on; thus why anonymous viewers cannot review at the moment. I may change it—but if I do, don't feed any flames. I need to just put up with it. Let's face it, not everyone is going to like my stuff.

Personal things were going on as well, but I don't need to talk about that at the moment as they were heartbreakingly unchangeable. Enjoy the chapter and thanks for your continued support.

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Rachael stood before the pacing wind demon as Jin waited for Scarlet to return to the temple that afternoon. He was continuously checking the time with a worried sigh making the high priestess lightly giggle against her hand. "You worry too much, my Lord. I am sure she is fine," said Rachael reassuringly.

"I know I would be given a spiritual warning of some kind if she were in trouble, but it isn't like her to be nearly 20 minutes late to return home," Jin explained with a rather tense huff. "Normally it wouldn't bother me but with demons still out and about, she could get hurt!"

The sound of the doorknob turning alerted the two within the wind master's bedroom. The high priestess couldn't help but smile at seeing Scarlet enter the room before shifting her focus on Jin with a smirk. She raised her brows slightly while tilting her head downwards as if to motion an 'I told you so' stance. When she caught Jin almost glaring at her, Rachael hid her chuckle behind the back of her hand as she made it to the bedroom door herself. "I'll just excuse myself then. Be well, my Lord."

Scarlet moved slightly to the side to allow the high priestess through before gazing at the obviously irritated wind demon. She folded her hands behind her while slightly bowing her head at how he was standing there with his arms crossed and his irritable glare now focused on her. "I-I am sorry I was so late getting home today. I was in the area when I decided to go stop by Touya's temple," said Scarlet as she pointed slightly over her shoulder.

Jin kept glaring at Scarlet, moving his head slightly to the side to look down at her out of the corner of his eye almost while tapping his fingers upon his left upper arm. "I see, and why exactly did you head over there?"

"That's what I came to talk to you about," Scarlet went on to explain as she moved a stray hair of hers out of her face and behind her ear.

Unfolding his arms, he motioned for Scarlet to head to his bed with him so the two of them could sit and talk for the moment. "So what is it? You're not leaving my temple, are you?" He wondered almost with a doubtful chuckle.

"No, but I talked to him about my training to be a priestess under his name," Scarlet clarified. A part of her couldn't help but feel nervous about telling Jin all of this, so it caused her to look off to the side to avoid his baby blue eyes. "Well, I asked him if it was possible, and he said he wouldn't mind training me so long as it was okay with you." She was hoping more then anything that the demon wasn't taking this as her dumping the training Jin was still trying to instill in her. Her fingers tensed up as she grabbed onto the baggy jeans she had on, bundling up the fabric slightly.

The demon was a bit upset to hear her want to continue her training under Touya but he relaxed his perplexed frown into a comforting smile as he witnessed her nervous reaction. He reached down to grab onto her wrist tenderly to get her to settle at the very most. "Scarlet, look at me," Jin whispered as he tried to meet her halfway there. When she refused to look at him, he cupped her chin with his index finger. "If you want to work on your training under Touya, that is fine. I just hope you don't forget about your training here." Leaning forwards, he placed a tender kiss upon her forehead. "Because I would hope you wouldn't forget that you are also my servant."

Scarlet smiled for once with a shake of her head at his comment. "No, I wouldn't forget about my training under you." She couldn't help but smirk. "Besides, I am sure you wouldn't let me."

Jin couldn't help but smile brightly to show off all of his teeth. "I sure wouldn't." Pushing himself up off of his bed, the wind master made his way over to the door. "It is about time for dinner. I should go grab something before I make my rounds about the town. Later on tonight, if you want, I can call Touya over here to let you inform him of your decision."

"Dinner?" Scarlet inquired as she watched the demon about to leave the room. When he looked at her rather confusingly, she continued. "Well, I mean, isn't it my job to get that for you?"

"If you want to get it for me, I guess I wouldn't mind it. Keep in mind that I don't worry too much about you fetching my food." Jin rested the end of his index finger against his cheek as if to think. "I am not too sure what they're serving today, so I'll just write down what I would like for you to choose."

"But I thought it would always be my job to do that for you. I did read it in that book you gave me to study up on." Scarlet pushed off of the bed herself to make it to the wind master's side, taking a peek at the list he was jotting down on. She noticed the small amount of food he was listening. "Very small eater, I see."

"Always," Jin mumbled as he finished off his list to hand over to her. "And to answer your first question, yes, there was a time my servants fetched my food for me, but that was so long ago." The redhead sat himself comfortably down in the mahogany chair for a second to relax. The chair couldn't help but creak a bit when the demon did so. "That was back when I basically sat in the main room in that giant chair you see in there with my servants around me."

Scarlet looked back over the list before scrunching her nose up a bit at thinking about how things probably first began in Wind Knoll. "So, who exactly came to all of you and proposed you all to watch over the town?" Seeing Jin lift his brow in slight confusion in desire for her to elaborate, she continued. "I mean, you all seemed to have very little desire to be around humans. So what was the want to do so?"

Jin relaxed his arms upon his thighs, looking off to the side to try and remember that far back. "You've read most of how Wind Knoll's religion was founded, right?"

"A little."

"Well," Jin continued, "I am sure you know that a few of the founders were the ones to catch me and Touya out practicing on the boundaries of human and demon world, right?" He witnessed Scarlet nod from where he was sitting. "Those humans came to us and practically started worshipping us. Back then, Touya and I had very little honor code when it came to humans. We were tempted to kill them right on sight. But when we saw them kneeling down before us and bowing, we stopped and see what they had to present us with."

Jin could remember the night that the humans there were on their knees and revering them as gods. His blue eyes looked over at Touya with a rather confused look in them before paying attention back to the humans before them that night. "Speak quickly," the wind demon recalled Touya demanding as he used his ice sword to point at one of the humans kneeling before them. "We should relinquish your pathetic lives right now for just seeing us!"

"Please," begged one of the humans, "spare us, your greatness! We wish nothing of you but to listen to our proposal."

Jin tilted his head slightly to the side while gazing down at the mortals, who were all still resting upon their fronts as if to bow. "And what is this proposal, humans?"

"We wish to build a settlement here, but we would need a spiritual foundation for it," one of the men announced as he kept his head bowed to the 'Gods' so as not to anger them. "Please, my Lords, if we were to make temples in your names, would you help the town continue to grow?"

Touya looked over at Jin with a shake of his head as if to disapprove. "To have a bunch of humans groveling at our feet sickens me to even think about it," the ice master whispered to Jin, his icy eyes expressing the hate he had for the human race even if he were once human himself.

"Please, my Lord!" Another of the men begged from the ground. "We will give you anything you desire. We will all be there to serve you."

"Servants, hu?" Jin inquired aloud, cupping his chin in thought. He felt a tight, frigid chill on his arm, prompting him to realize the ice demon was grabbing him.

"Are you insane!" Touya exclaimed between the two of them again. "I don't want any part of this! I don't need to babysit a bunch of humans!"

Scarlet listened intently to Jin's story before interrupting. "So it was servants that turned you both to the thought of protecting Wind Knoll?"

"More or less," said Jin as he shrugged slightly. "It took Touya a bit more convincing into the idea because, well, he didn't care much for humans or being their protector. But when he was offered the idea that they would be under his command, he finally turned around." Jin looked off to the side with a slight frown at how he used to treat his worshippers back in the day. "Hiei and the others came to the town's area later on, and we all fought over worshippers. In the beginning, they were chosen at random. Nobody had a say in who they wanted to follow. We made that decision for them." His blue eyes looked up at the ceiling, hearing some of the spirits whispering to him. The tips of his ears twitched as he went onwards. "I used to lounge in that chair in the main hall all day and night and have everyone cater to me. It is a reason you see most of the prayers taking place there. Some still believe I sit in that chair and listen to them."

"I thought you listened to their prayers still," Scarlet commented from near the bedroom door. "I mean, don't you and the others answer prayers or something when you're sitting down and writing?"

Jin nodded slowly with a neutral expression. "That is when people write us. Sometimes I will go into their dreams and answer it, but that depends on the time I have. It is a reason some prayers aren't answered right away. I can only imagine how Koenma manages to keep everything in tow with it just being him and a whole world full of people to think of." Feeling a bit fatigued, Jin rolled backwards in the chair while intertwining his fingers together behind his fiery, red hair.

Scarlet noticed his actions from where she stood. "You look tired, Jin."

His ear twitching at her comment, he looked over at Scarlet from the corner of his eye before waving away at the notion that he was. "Neh, I'll be fine. I am probably just a bit hungry is all." Truthfully, he didn't want to think about possibly needing the energy feed. Lately, Scarlet had tried to jump at the notion to be the one, and Jin couldn't bring himself to feed off of her with how weak she was spiritually.

"Alright, well, I'll be back in a little bit then," said the servant woman as she headed off to the Dining Hall. Scarlet felt a bit nervous as she made it down the long hallways by herself. She could swear every once in awhile that something was watching her as she walked the corridors alone. She couldn't help but gaze over her shoulder every now and then to watch as the shadows casted about by the lit scones teased her eyes into thinking something was after her. The large doors coming within view, she made her way on through them just in time with a relieved sigh.

Hearing the doors close, one of the cooks looked over to see Scarlet looking rather winded and frightened. "Are you okay, hun?" She had been previously gazing out at the snow covered land through the arched window as she made her way over to the startled Scarlet. Wiping her hands on her apron, she reached for the young servant girl's shoulder. "Nothing was after you in the temple, was it?"

Scarlet looked up at the elder woman. She appeared to be probably around the age of 40 with her stringy auburn hair tied back in a bun. "N-No," Scarlet managed to answer with a shake of her head briefly. "I just always get frightened when walking down those halls alone; especially as of late." She pushed herself off of the doors to find her footing once more whilst making her way down to where the food was usually displayed.

"Ah, good old paranoia at its best, eh?" She remarked as she followed closely behind Scarlet.

"Pretty much," said Scarlet as she gazed back over at the window the cook was previously staring out at. "After being awoken to this world, I don't know if I will ever find the smallest thing peaceful and soothing."

The elder woman could only smile briefly before nodding at the slip of paper in her hand as she made it behind the counter where most of the food was lined out for others to take—almost like a school cafeteria. "For the wind master, I assume?"

Jumping to attention at the mention of the paper she held, she handed it over to the cook. "Oh-uh-yes! He wanted me to pick a few things up for him. He's been quite hungry it seems."

Taking the slip of paper, her brown eyes gazed over the writing carefully before chuckling at the same taste Jin always had. "Alright, let me get this together for you. As for your first comment, I do agree." She grabbed a few of the vegetable and fruit items that the wind demon had listed but by a great portion knowing he liked to hold some for later. "Sadly, with demons running crazily around the town, it may be awhile before this town is ever peaceful like it used to be."

"Was it ever peaceful to begin with?" Scarlet inquired as she walked diagonally to the cook on the other side of the food lined table. "From what I have read and heard from others…it doesn't seem so."

The woman shrugged as she grabbed a good bit of cream spinach to put on the tray. "It had its moment. Sure, demons surfaced and tormented those sensitive to it, but it wasn't so frequent. Ever since that portal was created, it caused a bigger problem and more attacks." Finishing up the tray of food, she put a lid on it before handing it over to Scarlet. "There you are, hon."

"Thank you," whispered Scarlet as she accepted the food back. "I guess I'll head back to his bedroom and give this to him. He has been acting weird."

The cook overlaid her arms upon the woodwork of the display area. "It is possible he is just low on energy. He'll find ways to get it back up. I promise you."

Having that to think on, Scarlet exited out of the Dining Hall with the food in her possession. _Why wouldn't he let me know? Isn't he supposed to be using me for these kinds of things?_ She thought as she headed hastily back to the wind demon's bedroom. Opening up the door, Scarlet peeked inside to make sure that Jin was still there. Sure enough, the demon was there and seeming to be looking off at nothing in particular while sitting in the chair he was last seen within. "Jin?" She called inquisitively while stepping inside, closing the door quietly behind her.

Catching the noises the door made as well as Scarlet's voice, Jin lifted his brows slightly while peeking over at the entryway to his bedroom. "Ah, I see you are back." He watched as Scarlet came over to him as he didn't have it in him to get up from where he was sitting. The way she looked at him made him wonder what was on her mind as she appeared concerned. "Something the matter?" He inquired rather lowly. He was unaware his voice sounded labored and tired when he spoke.

Scarlet put the food off to the side before kneeling down before the wind demon. "Are you low on energy?" She wondered while rubbing his left, upper thigh. "Is that why you sound so tired?" The wind demon didn't seem to want to answer that at first as he gazed down at her. When Scarlet was about to ask again, she felt a sharp, brief pressure on her heart. Removing her hand from where it was, she placed it on her chest as well as attempted to get some of the air back in her lungs. "What-what was that…!"

"We're connected in certain ways because of you being my servant" Jin removed his hand from where it was resting upon his cheek to touch her chest gently. "Whenever I am low on energy, you'll more then likely feel it."

"Does it always sting like that?" Scarlet wondered as she was still trying to come down from the shock of it.

"I am surprised you're just now feeling that," Jin grunted as he moved slightly forwards to touch the area where her human heart was beating with the tip of his index finger. "With all the training I've put you through, I would think you'd be able to feel it sooner then this." Focusing some of his energy into the tip of his finger, he tried to calm the pain her heart had felt. "Just relax a bit, and you'll feel better."

"Why are you so resistant to take any of my energy? You know I have gotten better," Scarlet pointed out as she reached up to grab his wrist tenderly. "You know I can handle you."

Jin sighed as he rested back in his chair once more. "I know that, Scarlet, but your spirit is still very weak. I cannot risk possibly damaging you through spiritually interaction."

"Then don't do it spiritually!" Scarlet almost demanded as she placed her fist upon her chest in desperation to make the wind demon better. "Take the energy from my physically!"

"Scarlet, you don't understand," sighed Jin as he covered his face. "Your spirit is going to take a slight blow to that draining if I do so physically or spiritually. It doesn't matter how I do it, because I am essentially draining your spirit energy."

Scarlet shook her head as she stood upright to gaze down at the demon. "But it is my job to make you feel better! Why won't you let me do that?" When Jin refused to answer, she grabbed onto her white sweater to pull it off of her head to reveal just her standing in her bra and jeans. She watched as Jin glanced at her but looked the other way to try and avoid getting his temptation any higher. "Why won't you even look at me?" When the demon refused to still even look her way, Scarlet knelt back down and started to try and entice him into draining her by massaging his inner thighs.

Jin grunted in pleasure but pushed Scarlet away for a second with a disgruntled growl. "Scarlet, stop it!" He demanded. "I don't want to hurt you!"

The young woman almost felt hurt by his words as she looked up at him with tears threatening to come. "Why don't you trust me?"

Seeing the displeased look on her face, Jin's stern expression softened as he lowered his ears. Sighing softly, he got to his feet and knelt down on one knee in front of Scarlet, who was resting on her legs. "It isn't that I don't trust you or anything of the sort," Jin insisted softly with a caring smile. "Scarlet, you have come a long way, but your spirit is still recuperating from all it went through. Eventually you will get to where I need you, and I will rely on you for energy feeding, but not just yet." Finding her shirt nearby, Jin grabbed it up and handed it over to Scarlet. "Thank you for offering though."

Scarlet felt incredibly embarrassed as she took her sweater back and put it on. She watched as the wind demon made it back over to his dinner to begin eating what was gathered for him. "I guess I should go back and tell Touya you don't mind me doing that training after all."

"I told you I would call him over myself earlier," remarked Jin with his mouth slightly full as he ate a bit of the soup that had been made that night. The spoon clinking on the bowl, he looked at something upon his desk before looking back over at Scarlet. "I will summon him in later on. I suggest you grab dinner yourself and head back to your bedroom. There are still demons on the loose as you know."

With a nod, Scarlet left Jin's room once more with a heavy sigh. "I am such an idiot," she said mostly to herself as she put her shirt back on and wandered back into the hallways lit only by the scones on the walls. "I should realize me screwing myself up for so long is going to take some repair."

"And how," a child like voice commented from the corridor she was within. "I can barely sense your energy at all."

Stopping in her footsteps, Scarlet turned around to see a young demon standing there with a yo-yo in his right hand. He was throwing it down only to pull it back up in time to catch it. She couldn't help but notice that his colors on his hat and outfit were rather bright and stood out—almost like he belonged to a carnival act. "Who are you?" She asked rather defensively as she didn't like his tone.

"My name is Rinku," he answered as he pushed himself off of the wall. "I was coming by to check on things and just happened to notice you walking by but only barely." Here Rinku pointed up at her with one hand behind his head. "I can sense your energy level but just hardly. Has Jin been draining you that much?"

"You nosey brat, he hasn't been draining me at all!" Scarlet grumbled with a bright blush over her face. Sighing softly to herself, she gazed somberly ahead at the dark halls with a shake of her head. "He refuses to touch me, really."

"That's weird," remarked Rinku as he began to play with his yo-yo again. "Usually when he is letting out this much energy he turns to his servants at least. I thought you were one of them."

Scarlet raised her brow at the inquisitive Rinku. Her gray-green eyes could just make out the young child in the darkening hallways only lit by the candlelight. "What do you mean? How is he letting out so much energy and what for?"

Rinku blinked a few times in confusion as he caught his yo-yo once more. "You mean, he didn't tell you?" Witnessing Scarlet shake her head, he bit at his lower lip wondering if he should himself. His eyes looked up at the ceiling as if to pay mind to the shadows being casted there at the moment. "Well that seems a bit bizarre as he usually tells his worshippers everything. But, well, if you haven't sensed it already, demons are trying to converge on this temple to slaughter the humans and taunt out the wind master." When he heard Scarlet inhale in dismay, he continued. "The demons that attacked and threatened Touya headed to Jin instead of Kurama. They know if they bring down Kurama, Jin will be the next one to prompt the barrier, so they are attacking him first."

"Why has he not told anyone!" Scarlet demanded to know as she looked down at the child-like demon. "Why is he being this brainless!"

"Touya didn't tell anyone either until it was too late," Rinku explained with a shrug. He turned his head slightly as if to completely cloud his face in the oncoming darkness of the Wind Temple's halls with the sun setting. "But they prefer not to rely on humans so much to solve the problems others have created. They want to protect the humans, not burden them."

"It isn't a burden when we care so much for them!" Scarlet almost yelled in tears. She stopped herself from saying anymore as she heard a rather low, disgruntled groan coming from behind her. Rinku snapped his attention in the direction as well as the servant girl. The sound came once more only a bit closer. Scarlet and Rinku both stayed on guard as they watched the bit of light still shining within the corridor, wondering what would come from the darkness. A burnt and decayed hand soon appeared within the light. Scarlet watched as it tensed up in a way to express it was trying to pull towards them. When the other hand came into view, the damned soul was able to pull the torso into view of the light only to show that there was nothing on the beast by hands and a blooded body. The back of it had oddly shaped legs, which almost looked like sharpened razors, which had a point to them. "Oh God!" Scarlet exclaimed quietly, hoping to not alert it as she backed up towards the child demon.

"It still knows you're here!" He insisted in a low whisper. "Enemies like that don't need ears or eyes to figure out where you are. They can sense your spirit no matter how weak or strong it is!" Rinku watched closely as the enemy seemed to scuffle around in attempts to find the human it had sensed earlier. "When I give the word, you have to run as fast as you can out of here."

"Run? Run where!" Asked Scarlet in fear as she took another step back.

Rinku sighed irritably, "Run anywhere! And run fast, because these damned humans can run fast, and they do hurt with their back legs. They are like kitchen knives and can cut through anything." When Rinku heard the beast screech loudly, he felt his heart nearly drop as the beast lunged for the fearful Scarlet. Getting his yo-yos ready, he threw them quickly in desperation to stop the damned creature. The cords, which were controlled by his demon energy, coiled about the demented human and pinned it down quickly with a rather loud thud. "**GO**! **NOW**!"

Turning away, Scarlet ran as fast as she could down the opposite hall. "Jin! Somebody! Anybody! Help!" She screamed while tearing down the hallways, which seemed void of any life whatsoever. Looking over her shoulder, she heard the angered cries echoing throughout the temple. Turning to look in front of her, she saw a white figure ahead in the hall she was within. Stopping in her tracks, she watched as it limbered from side to side. The head of the womanly figure off to the side and downwards, her face was covered by her long, stringy white hair, and she almost seemed to flicker like a lamp about to short out every time she moved.

Hearing the demonic screams behind her, Scarlet shot a glance over her shoulder just in time to see the creature Rinku had tried to stop leaping upon the opposite wall and heading towards her at a fast pace. Just seeing the sharp, knife like back appendages cracking the walls made her heart sink as she hurried down the hall to her left.

Justin had just gotten back from studying and worshipping under Hiei when he came down the area where the negative energy had gathered. The high priest stopped slowly in his tracks as he looked about frantically in worry, causing his wavy brown hair to toss about as he glanced from side to side. "Foreign demons are here…" Closing the book in his possession that he often kept with him in the Wind Temple, he hurried down the corridor with his bare feet beating against the carpet beneath him. The white robes he wore flailing about behind him as he ran, Justin made it to the area where it all started. Labored breathing heard in the darkness, he lifted his hand to create enough heat to cause the scone closest to him to relight as it had obviously been blown out.

With the one lit, he was able to see blood splattered on the white carpet and Rinku's hand lying limp off to the side with a yo-yo string broken from his fingers. "Rinku!" Justin exclaimed as he made it over to the injured demon. The young demon grunted in displeasure as he was moved from where he was resting. He had several injuries over his body that were bleeding profusely. "Rinku, what happened here!"

Rinku opened his eyes wearily with a look of dismay. "I-I am sorry…I tried to help her…!" He paused as his body overwhelmed him with slight pain. "Scarlet was chased by one of those higher class damned beings. You must save her…! Warn Jin…!"

Justin panicked at watching Rinku close his eyes and have his head roll off to the side. "Jin, help!" The high priest yelled as he picked up the injured demon and hurried towards the wind master's bedroom.

With all the running she had managed to do all over the temple, Scarlet was able to finally make it to her bedroom. Opening the door, she closed it quickly and brought over the chair in her room to keep it from being easily pushed open by any forces. Hearing a rather nasty scream once more as well as a loud bang against her door, Scarlet fell to her backside and crawled backwards in terror at the demon eager to get to her. Her back hitting the opposite wall, she grabbed onto the nightstand legs to hold onto tightly with her eyes closed just the same. "Go away; go away; go away," she begged quietly.

The constant banging upon her door coming to a sudden halt, Scarlet refused to look about her as she was scared of what she may see. The door creaking open, she could hear footsteps hurrying towards her. She knew they were reassuring and probably someone she knew, prompting her to relax a bit. "Scarlet," Touya's voice whispered as he made it to her side. "Scarlet, are you okay?" When she didn't answer, the ice master grabbed gently onto her wrists. "Let go of the nightstand. Come on," he said tenderly in attempts to have her relax further. Touya managed to get Scarlet to release her hold on the legs of the nightstand. "It's okay; it's okay."

"Oh, God, Touya…!" Scarlet whimpered as she held onto the ice demon tightly. "I can't take this anymore…!"

Touya cupped the back of Scarlet's stringy, bi-colored hair with an inward sigh. "I know. I know it is hard right now, but that is why we are here." Getting to his feet, he helped Scarlet to hers to get her over to her bed. "Just lie down for now. Everything is settled. Jin and I took care of them. I'll go get you something to eat for dinner. Just relax." He grabbed onto the bed covers to cover her up. "I'll be back shortly." Making it to the doorway, Touya gazed over at Scarlet once more to make sure she was okay before excusing himself.


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Notes**: Holy mother above! My new computer is finally up and running! I got everything transferred over and working as it should. I just need to install a few IM programs and I am all set! I feel like I should take my old one and bunt it out the door for all the hard times it gave me, but then looking back on how long it held on, I shouldn't. =P

What I am also glad about is that I no longer have that horrible, awful Microsoft Word I used to always use! It had too much going on in the damn panels. X-x It took me forever to figure out how to work the thing, and even then, it sucked out a lot of memory from my computer when it ran. Just give me good, old Microsoft 2000—I don't need anything fancy. XX

Enjoy the chapter.

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Scarlet stared up at her ceiling mostly in shock over the experience she had previously. Her gray-green eyes were wide and filled with terror as she watched the candlelight play tricks with the shadows it illuminated on the ceiling and walls. Her teeth chattered from mostly the cold that overwhelmed her but the fear having a hand in her trembling as well. Going stiff a moment, Scarlet turned her head slightly to the left as she could have sworn she heard someone calling her name softly and quickly across the room. When it came again, she turned her body slowly in return only to gaze out across her room into nothing but darkness.

"Who is there…?" Scarlet hesitantly asked as she shifted her eyes nervously about the room.

_**Scarlet!**_ The mysterious voice whispered once more only quickly this time.

Thinking she heard it closer to her ear this time, Scarlet quickly turned her head to find nothing there. She began to hear several whispers hissing across her room. The very sound of it all hurting her head, she covered her ears with her pillow with a whimper. "Stop! Make it stop!"

Her body being shaken by someone, Scarlet blocked out whoever it was that was calling her until the pillow was pulled from her head. "Scarlet!" Yelled Touya as he tried to snap her back to reality.

Even though Scarlet knew who it was, she buried her face into her bed's covers in attempts to hide her tears. "Why is this happening to me…?" She mumbled incoherently.

"It happens to everyone," Touya confessed with a sigh at her disposition, placing his palm upon her back. "It especially attacks those sensitive to it." Feeling her move, the ice master removed his hand from where it was resting. "The dying call out to the world of the dead and to the spiritually aware. You were wasting your body away and putting it through so much stress that you were hardly even alive. Your dying soul was calling out to the world of the damned some years after your mother passed on. You just ignored the signs and sensations, because you refused to believe in what was there."

Scarlet wiped her tears with the back of her sleeve. "But, I am getting better now…I am not sick anymore."

Touya looked down at her with his brow creased in worry though said nothing at that moment. He turned to the priestess he asked to help him with the food he was going to bring to Scarlet, beckoning her over. "Give it to me," he insisted between the two of them as he opened his hands to accept the tray. With the tray handed over, Touya nodded for her to take her leave of the bedroom. When the door closed, the ice master turned back to Scarlet. "Here, you should eat something."

The young woman looked down at the tray to find it had chicken soup, steamed vegetables, and a piece of grilled chicken. He was obviously keeping up to tabs with her health. Her shaky hands grabbed onto the utensils she would need to eat. "But, Touya, you didn't answer me."

"I don't recall you asking me a question," he chuckled to himself as he watched her eat at the very least.

Scarlet rolled her eyes at his attitude as she took a bite from one of the vegetables. "If I am not sick anymore, how is it I am still calling out to the world of the damned?"

Touya's light smile turned into a serious frown upon her question. "I don't want to answer that as it will seem I am placing blame on someone." His narrow eyes shifted slightly away from Scarlet.

"Please, Touya," Scarlet begged as she reached over to place her hand upon his shoulder. "Please, can you at least answer me? I am tired of suffering like this and not knowing why."

The ice demon turned his attention back to Scarlet with a defeated sigh. Blowing his bangs out of his face, before grabbing onto the woman's wrist to remove her hand from where it was. "Alright, fine but you have to promise—."

"You're not cold," Scarlet interjected as she felt his hand upon her skin. "I thought you were always very cold."

"I am just-tired," Touya remarked as an excuse. "My energy is not as powerful as I am trying to relax after having to put up that barrier for so long before." He waved his hand slightly as if to ignore that conversation for the moment. "Anyways, as I was saying, you have to promise me you won't go off on what I am about to tell you."

Scarlet hesitantly nodded at his comment. "I promise."

"Scarlet, when you were baptized under me at my temple, a part of you was always open to the world of the damned," Touya confessed as he motioned slightly with his hands. "When I was going to baptize you, I told your mother what this would entail. I warned her in her dreams that you would be a bit more open to things you may not want to be open to." He sighed as he shifted slightly upon the bed. "This was back when she viewed me as a holy God and saw nothing demonic about the studies. She had no idea what she was getting herself or you into."

Scarlet's fingers tensed up slightly around the silver fork she held, feeling a bit upset that her mother would do this to her. She curled her lips back as if to prevent herself from saying anything much further while continuing to listen to Touya.

"And your umbilical cord still, to this day, rests in my temple walls. That connection is still there between the two of you, and what she sees in the damned world, you will be connected to it as well," Touya confessed. "When you were wasting away with depression, you only made the visions stronger and persist. Every time you cut at yourself, you made those on the other side think you were ready to pass on." He paused for a second and pointed at her with a raise of his brow. "You told me that one time you were mauled by one of the guardian dogs of Makai, right?" Seeing her nod, Touya sighed slightly with a shrug. "Well, like Jin told you, it was because your soul was singing out to them. They thought you were ready to die. So in other words, while you were playing around with death, your spirit allowed you to see what healthy people could not—you got to see the world of the dead."

"But I am getting better! I shouldn't still be seeing these things—right?" Scarlet wondered in fear as she placed her hand on her chest. "I shouldn't keep seeing these demented, tortured souls!"

"Scarlet," Touya began with a shake of his head, "even if you do get hundred percent back to full health and strong spirit, you're going to see and experience what you don't want to. It may not be as frequent but you will still endure them."

"So I am stuck like this…" Scarlet whispered, as she felt a bit defeated. Putting the fork back down on the tray, she rested her back against the headboard of her bed.

"You're not the only one, so try not to indulge in too much self-pity," Touya said almost callously as he pushed himself up from the bed. "In times like these, it is best to help those as they have helped you. Everyone is suffering through this—not just you, my dear."

Looking away from the ice demon, Scarlet knew he was right as she sighed heavily. "Sorry," she whispered apologetically.

"Now, eat your dinner," he insisted as he headed for the door. "You will be alright. I created a barrier outside your doorway, so as long as you're in this room, you should be safe." Accepting her brief smile as thanks, the ice master departed from her bedroom and headed down to the infirmary where Jin was waiting for news on the injured Rinku. The wind master was resting with his fingers through his hair and his head lowered. "You didn't sense the demons that had snuck inside? What is wrong, Jin?"

Jin moved his fingers slowly from where they were within his red tresses with a heavy exhale. "I just couldn't focus on them…I was trying to relax after I ate my food, and then Justin came running in to warn me of the attack. I am…sorry." He shifted his baby blue eyes over to the closed door to the infirmary with a sorrowful look upon them.

"How is he doing?" Touya asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, he was badly injured," said Jin thinking about the situation the young demon was within. "Of course, demon bodies are more resilient to human magic, so it is taking a few of my nurses to care to his body." He slapped his hands down on his thighs for a moment, the demon pushed himself up off of the chair he was sitting upon. "Anyways, I wanted you to come here so I could talk to you about Scarlet's training under you."

Touya raised his brows briefly. "I hope you don't mind me training her as my high priestess."

"Do you think it is going to be too much for her?" Jin wondered as he rested his back against the wall. "She does have a lot going on at the moment."

"Just keep training her as you have," the ice demon said as he placed his hand upon Jin's shoulder. "Within time, she will be able to handle as much as we expect of her. I will train her under me whenever you want me to. I wouldn't want to take away your only servant, Jin. You know that, right?"

"I know. Hopefully somewhere down the line I'll have more. I am expecting a few births this months, so we'll see what happens," Jin admitted. "If it were spring I would be expecting a bit more." It was a well-known fact amongst the worshippers of the wind master that most of those under him conceived in the early winter and birthed mostly in the spring as they dubbed spring Jin's time to mainly shine.

"That's why I am glad it is winter," Touya said with a pleased grin. "It is when most of my births take place. I am expecting 30 from this month alone." Turning around to make his leave of the Wind Temple, he paused for a moment. "Oh, and Jin?" When he heard the redhead 'hmm' in response, he continued. "It is wise not to wait till the last second to tell your worshippers what is going on. I did, and it nearly killed me last time."

It was obvious that Touya wasn't an idiot to what Jin was going through. He couldn't help but dwell upon the ice demon's words for a little bit before deciding his partner was right. The door to the infirmary catching his attention, he stood upright to see one of the nurses coming forwards. "How is he?"

"It took a lot of energy to heal his injuries, but he should be fine, my Lord," the hooded nurse responded softly between the two of them. "It was a very powerful beast that got him. How did you not sense that energy spike?"

Jin was quiet, as he didn't want to worry anyone just yet. Sighing heavily, he turned his sights from the nurse. "Summon my high priests and priestesses. I need to speak with them…"

In due time, some of the high priests and priestesses made their way to Jin's bed chambers. The fifteen of them gathered around and sat down to listen to what the wind demon had to say about the very recent attack on the temple. "Is everyone here?" Jin asked Justin as he was in his private room for a moment that was enclosed off to anyone but him. He could hear the high priest just beyond the white curtains, which were tied together to keep anyone from seeing what was in that room of his.

"Yes, my Lord. They are all here. But why are we all here?" Justin wondered, as he was a bit worried as to why a meeting was called. They had never had a meeting such as this in some time.

Jin pushed himself up from the chair he was sitting in within the darkness to make his way to the curtains, which hid him from the worshippers to make himself known. "Alright, quiet down," he demanded seriously—his serious nature enough to put a worried frown on anybody's face, as they knew he was usually cheery and carefree. "I am saddened to inform you that the demons have switched their attack from Touya and Kurama and focused upon me."

Unaware of the situation, the higher worshippers all gasped and felt fear overtake their bodies. "My Lord," one of the young priestesses said as she got to her feet. "Why did you not tell us this earlier! We are always willing to help you!"

With everyone agreeing with her, Jin couldn't help but feel a bit ganged up on. He refused to let his childlike temper get the best of him at this moment, as he needed their help, so he tried to keep his tongue in check. "That's enough, Melody," Jin grumbled lightly as he looked over at her with an apologetic expression. "I need all of your support right now—not your lectures of how disappointed in me you are."

Rachael was in the group and couldn't help but frown herself at what Jin had to say to all of this. She felt he didn't get enough disapproving comments but kept herself in line for the time being.

"With the coming attacks, I have been very weak and my energy has been drained a great deal," Jin admitted almost breathlessly to express how tired he was from exerting how much he was. "I am trying everything I can to keep them at bay, but I need your help. I need you to keep the barriers up around the temple when I am unable to. My energy is really low right now, and I need to get it back up somehow. Most of you are recuperating from the recent blows to the temple, and I cannot ask anymore of your energy."

Justin listened carefully to what Jin had to say from the corner of the room. He twisted his mouth to the side and hesitated only a few seconds before speaking up. "I will help you, Jin." Everyone paused at his sudden comment wondering what he meant. Justin lowered his hand, which he had raised previously rather slowly. "If you need someone's energy to feed off of, I will let you do it to me while everyone else is recovering from the attacks."

Jin knew that it was an uncomfortable stance for the high priest to be in, as he didn't necessarily like to be drained from by a man. "Justin, that is a kind offer but you don't have to do that."

"Jin, I will be fine! I promise!" Justin insisted though his body was shaking a bit from the very thought of it. "I can do this."

The wind master sighed as he rubbed his upper arms. "Alright, but if you feel the slightest discomfort, you let me know, and I will stop." He turned his attention back to the others with a slight nod. "But that is the situation we face. I need everyone to be on alert. If I don't catch something going on right away, alert me at once. I probably just don't have the energy to focus on what is all going on." He waved away the crowd slightly as he headed over to his bed.

Taking in a deep breath, Rachael made her way over to Jin with her fists at her side. Knowing Justin wasn't going to leave the room just yet, she didn't mind her outburst being in front of one person. Standing in front of the wind master, she couldn't restrain herself from slapping him clear across the face. The smack was quite loud and even startled Justin. The wind demon himself was in a bit of shock but recollected his surprised composure to just shrug his shoulders back like it was nothing. "How could you be so selfish!" Rachael hissed angrily.

"Rachael!" Justin scolded as he tried to pull the priestess away only to have her resist.

"Let me go! I am not finished!" She demanded, pulling her arm away from the priest. "You could have gotten yourself killed! How could you put yourself through this—how could you even possibly think of putting _**me**_ through this!"

Jin looked up at the priestess with a rather impartial look. He watched her shake with anger while tears lined her brown eyes. "I didn't want to burden you," He mumbled, looking down at the tile floor. "I am sorry, Rachael. I didn't mean to hurt you or anyone else." Getting to his feet for a moment, he reached for the priestess to pull her close to him for a remorseful hug.

Feeling secure in his embrace, Rachael allowed her tears to pour down her face as she held onto his body tightly. "You're so damn pigheaded," she hiccupped through her tears.

The fog settling over Wind Knoll once more upon the steady rising of the full moon that night, the town grew quiet as always upon the stroke of the seventh hour. The temples were falling to the same silence gradually as most were heading to their bedrooms to worship or do their own actives that they took interest in. Scarlet remained in her bedroom where she knew she was mostly safe. Her knees to her chest and the covers held tight about her, she listened contently to the coming and goings of those few that passed down her hallway.

Touya was just outside the temple, listening on the small amount of worshippers that were double baptized to him from the Wind Temple with a slight frown on his face catching the mind waves belonging to Scarlet revolving around her doubt about the situation she found herself in. Sighing softly to himself, Touya jumped down from the building top he was upon to make his way inside of the temple to Scarlet's room.

Scarlet rested her body against the wall with several heavy sighs to keep her company and fill up the room, which was void of sound and company. Feeling the chilly aura brought on by Touya, she shivered slightly and kept the covers about her as the door to her room opened.

"Scarlet," he called from where he was standing. The darkness of the temple mostly hid him from view though some of his features could be made in the dim lighting. "I want you to come with me."

"T-Touya…?" She wondered as she couldn't make out much of the ice demon. "It is you, isn't it?"

The ice master made his way over towards Scarlet's bed. He pulled the faux fur coat off of the chair near the vanity to hand over to the young woman. "Get dressed. I want you to come to my temple real fast."

"What-what for?" Scarlet wondered as she took the coat that Touya had tossed to her. "It-it is dark out and the fog is everywhere, Touya. I am too scared to go out there at this hour."

Touya frowned almost irritably at her as he shook his head at her doubt. "Do you not trust me?" He wondered as he leaned upon her bed to place his hand upon her cheek. His frosty touch only slightly chilled her, as he was still weak from the demonic attacks. "You must learn to trust me first as well as all of those around you. Don't let the demons win in making you paranoid."

Hesitantly Scarlet reached for the ice master to have him help her get to her feet. She held her coat close to her shaky body whilst watching the ice demon head back for her doorway from whence he came. "I don't understand…"

"I will be waiting for you outside, Scarlet. When you're dressed and ready, come and see me," was the last thing that Touya said to her as he made it back down the hall from whence he came.

Scarlet stood there and stared at her coat before looking over at her clothes she usually just threw off to the side whenever she dressed for the night occasion. _I should trust him. I shouldn't let the evil, demonic presence win_, she thought as she grabbed up a few of her warm, winter clothes.

The cold was quite a sting upon Scarlet's fair skin as she made her way outside of the temple to be graced by it as well as a few snow flurries. Her coat and a few layered clothing wrapped tightly about her, she stepped out into the snow layered town to find Touya there sure enough passing his time by making some sculptures from the demonic ice he could control. Her foot crunching the snow beneath her caught the demon's attention.

Touya snapped his focus to Scarlet with a serious frown at first before relaxing into a gentle smile. "Are you ready?" Seeing her act hesitantly, he relaxed himself as he placed his hand back upon her shoulder. "With Christmas coming up, I guess I should give you an early gift myself. Now, come with me."

Without another word, Scarlet followed behind the ice demon to the Ice Temple. Feeling so incredibly cold and a bit tired, she leaned in close to Touya's chest to try and have some support as she made it back to the old area of her neighborhood. The snow had covered a good bit of the Ice Temple, making it almost seem a bit homier. Scarlet blew on her hands, which were covered in her mittens. "How can you even stand being this way 24-7?"

"You tend to get used to it." The demon responded seriously as he escorted the woman inside. Their breath still upon the air, he headed to his bedroom with Scarlet close behind him. He never bothered to keep the temple too warm. If his worshippers wanted it to be warmer, he knew they could find their own means to do so. Touya gazed over his shoulder to catch the worried look upon Scarlet. Twisting his mouth to the side, he thought on what to say as his bedroom door was eventually coming within sight. "Do you remember what I told you about the mirror that shows every detail about each and every worshipper that used to be here?"

"Yes," Scarlet answered with a bit of wonder in her expression.

Touya opened the door to his bedroom to allow Scarlet on inside. Closing and locking the door behind him, he kept his hand to her back to escort her to a room he had closed off by curtains tied together. His fingers working away at the tied knot, to let the fabrics, colored in soft, blue hues to fall off to the side in a graceful sway. "I am going to show you something," said Touya as he motioned for her to follow him. "Careful now. It is dark in here."

Scarlet held onto the back of Touya's shirt, as she couldn't see a thing in the room. Everything was pitch black, making her feel rather uncomfortable. Suddenly, a single light turned on thanks to the ice master stepping upon a circular platform, which only rested a few inches off of the ground. The light was coming from an oval shaped mirror on the wall. It seemed to beam down on the demon rather brightly. "Is this…the mirror?"

The narrow eyes of the demon didn't falter from where they rested—straight ahead at the mirror in front of them. "Yes, the Mirror of Memories. There were far too many centuries and too many worshippers for each of us to remember. In case we forgot something important or someone we wanted to remember, we have this mirror to reflect that moment in time." He knew he was just repeating what he said earlier, but he inhaled and exhaled heavily knowing he was going to go back on his promise by giving Scarlet what she wanted sooner. "As a gift to you, I will show you something." Touya closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them. "Mirror, show me Cynthia Leanne Baker's birth of her daughter, Scarlet Anne Baker."

The mirror flashed suddenly before seeming to rewind through a bunch of memories and thoughts the ice master had within his mind. It was like watching someone rewind a home movie though none of the people Scarlet knew—until it stopped on an image of her mother. Her heart halted at seeing her mother seeming so young and vibrant at that moment in her life. She turned around towards the mirror almost slowly in Scarlet's vision before gracing the two with a bright smile.

"I am fine," Cynthia responded with a light chuckle. "Tell Touya he worries way too much about me." She was obviously talking to one of the high priestesses with Touya standing off to the side with his arms cross. Back then, Cynthia was just as light blinded as the rest of them and couldn't see the ice demon.

"Understand, he does so because he cares about you and your baby, Cynthia," the young priestess responded. She had black hair, which was obviously dyed as the roots were showing through as blond. "The summer has been horrible this year, and it isn't good you're out in this heat with you in this condition. You need to go lie down; especially if you're having slight pains."

Sensing Cynthia was about to refuse, Touya shifted his eyes back and forth between the two of them with a worried expression. "Tell her I demand it," he said to the open priestess. "I don't want to lose her or the child."

The priestess nodded at the ice master before turning back to Cynthia who was intend to stay outside and help with a bit of the gardening. "Cynthia, he demands it of you. You wouldn't want to upset the Ice Lord, would you?"

Blowing some of her wavy hair out of her face, Cynthia sighed. "No, I wouldn't want to do that—!" Feeling a rather sharp pain rake through her body, she hitched in breath and lowered herself to her knees while holding onto her round belly. "Ooh, it hurts…!"

Seeing Cynthia fall to the ground like that, Touya clenched his teeth whilst hissing at the sight of her obvious pain. His reflex was to reach for her to make sure she was okay, but just as his hands were about to touch her body, he stopped and curled his fingers back into a fist of irritation remembering he couldn't touch someone who was blind to what he was. "Dammit…!"

"Cynthia!" The priestess gasped as she hurried to her side. "Your labor pains are becoming more intensive! The baby is coming. We need to get you inside!"

Scarlet watched as the mirror hurried through the images a bit more as if Touya was trying to get the images to speed up to her birth. The mirror halting once more on the part of Cynthia giving birth to the best of her ability. Touya was watching closely as well from where he stood several feet from the Mirror of Memories.

"I don't know if she's going to make it, my Lord," one of the doctors commented to Touya. "She is having a hard time delivering this child."

Touya shifted his eyes about worryingly trying to think of a decision. "She was dead set on not wanting to have a C-section, so I cannot go against her wishes," he grumbled as he curled his fingers into tight fists. "Just keep trying. If this persists, then we'll have no other choice but to do the C-section."

"But, my Lord…"

"Do as I say!" The ice demon demanded angrily, making those who could see him flinch in fright. "If I lose either one of them, it is on your heads!"

With the hours of labor continuing, it eventually got the point where Scarlet was almost able to make her way out of her mother. The nurses and doctors, however, were worried about her state, as she was getting very tired and drenched with sweat. Touya made it over to Cynthia's side, holding onto the iron side of the bed tightly to watch as the woman tried her best to birth her daughter.

"She is too weak, my Lord," one of the nurses commented to the ice master. "All she needs is one last push and we can possibly get it out, but she is just too tired."

Sucking in his lower lip, Touya moved his hand down to Cynthia's, even though it was considered a rule amongst the demons never to touch mortals that couldn't see them. He watched as the woman opened her eyes slightly and inhaled sharply at his touch. The chill was obviously something she needed to her heated body. "What are you waiting for? Get that baby out of her _**now**_!" He grumbled with his lips slightly sucked inwards after his comment. Hearing Cynthia moan, Touya shifted his attention back to her. "Push one more time," he whispered to her, knowing a part of her could probably hear him now. "You're not ready for me to take your spirit yet."

Cynthia closed her eyes tightly and squeezed Touya's hand, which she could feel there. Biting her lower lip, she managed to give one last hard push to get Scarlet out of her. The doctors and everyone celebrated the new little girl into the temple. The mother could only express a weary smile before rolling her head back, closing her eyes. Once Touya caught her actions, he began to panic a bit.

"She's looking pale," he remarked as his eyes shifted over to her vital signs. "Why is she pale!" He yelled angrily, demanding an answer.

"S-Sir, she is losing too much blood!" One of the nurses responded nervously. "We have to stop the bleeding!"

Having to rewatch that scene, Touya couldn't bare to continue it much further as he closed his eyes and stopped the images from progressing. "Your mother nearly died that day, but the doctors and nurses were able to use their knowledge in the field to try and heal her with their medical procedures while I used my energy. I didn't want her to carry onward into Makai. It just wasn't ready for her yet."

Scarlet was quiet as she fought the tears that threatened to come. "Jin told me of a time where you all ruled rather ruthlessly. He even gave me a diary that has all of it detailed to read if I ever desired to." Touya looked slightly over his shoulder at her with a raise of his brow. "He told me that he holds Yusuke responsible for his change as well as the light."

Touya was quiet, as if trying to understand how he should phrase his words. "That is partially why." He turned to look back at the mirror. "But, when you live for centuries and watch the worshippers around you grow and have children of their own that you too have to raise with them, it changes your view on things as well. Like those before her, Cynthia was a daughter to me—every one baptized under me is essentially my child. I've watched some take their first step only to fall down and need me to be there for them. Even as they grew up in life, they continued to fall, and I would guide them. I watched your mother be born here as well only to have her mother befall to drugs and alcohol upon the sacrifice of her husband. Your mother was abandoned at infancy no less."

As he was thinking about it, the mirror began to flicker and rewind further back in time at the moment he was thinking of. It was storming the night he found Paula's body, lifeless in her bedroom with the baby Cynthia crying out for her mother. The priestesses and priests rushed to her body as Touya made his way over to the crib. Reaching into the baby bed, he pulled her into his arms, making sure she was wrapped up tight so the chill of his body wouldn't harm her.

"My Lord, what do we do now?" One of the men asked involving the baby.

"I will take care of the child. My servants will help me," Touya answered as he soothed the child back into sleeping.

"From that moment onward, I watched as she grew up under my care though oblivious to who really raised her as your mother was blind to me," Touya sighed softly having to admit that aloud. "She was my child, and I didn't want to lose her. I feel the same way about every man and woman under my care. Just as Jin does about his, and Kurama his, and Shishi, and Hiei as well though those two will refuse to admit it."

Scarlet was quiet. Unable to think of what to say though her mother's death soon came to mind. "What about…my mother's death…? What did you want to show me there?"

Touya smiled for a moment as he gazed over at the curious woman. "Do you really want to see?"


	31. Chapter 31

**_Author's Notes_**: Had a bad episode last night where I thought I was having a heart attack. xX Stupid panic attacks! I thank my bf for getting me through that. -heart-

Anyways, sex scene removed from this chapter--might seem botchy and out of whack at the end because of it. Some sex talk and references may be used even in this chapter. I tried to make it as tame as I could. =x Unedited is on MediaMiner.

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Touya turned back to the mirror as the images had paused right where they were. "Mirror, show me the death of Cynthia Leanne Baker." At that moment, the mirror sped up. It seemed to fast-forward to the day that Cynthia was so ill the doctors knew they wouldn't be able to save her. The physician at Cynthia's bedside, he finished checking her heart with a saddened frown knowing the woman was going to pass.

"How do things look?" Chris asked, as he was worried over Cynthia's well being though he preferred to hide it sometimes.

"I need to talk to you outside, Mr. Baker," the doctor insisted as he put his things away and made his way past the young Scarlet, allowing her to stay for the time being.

Scarlet knelt next to her mother's bedside, holding onto her slender hand. She could hear the doctor and her father talking about her condition, but ignored it for the time being. "Mama, are you going to be okay?"

Cynthia took a rather deep, rasping breath inwardly before managing a weak smile to her daughter. "I am trying my best, sweetie." Her hair was such a mess as she never had the energy to brush it much anymore, and it was too painful for anyone to move her. From where she was resting, she caught the tears on her daughter's face. "Don't be so sad, Scarlet." Her slender, shaky hand reached for her daughter's face to stop the tears herself. "Know that when I do die, I at least will be in a better place."

Quiet for just a moment, she listened to the muffled words being exchanged beyond the door. "There is not much more I can do. Her organs are failing her," Scarlet heard the doctor say somberly. "Sometime tonight, she may very well die." Grabbing onto the bed covers tightly, the tears overwhelmed Scarlet, and she brought her face down onto the free space beside her mother to hide her crying. "I am sorry," said the doctor to Chris before obviously taking his leave down the stairs.

Having to watch that scene again from her life, Scarlet felt the tears streaking slowly down her face to pool at her chin and fall to the marble flooring. She didn't bother to wipe them away, keeping her focus upon the mirror as it changed to later that night.

Cynthia was coughing quite hard and obviously in severe pain every movement she made. It was storming, putting a bit of peace to her as storms often calmed the woman. The lightening lighting up brief glimpses across the darkened room, Cynthia opened her eyes for a moment, as she seemed to feel something was there with her. "Hello?" She called weakly as she found herself gazing leerily about the empty bedroom. Her eyes falling upon her statue of Touya, she expressed a weak smile to it. "I guess I'll be joining you sometime soon."

Lying upon her back, she brought the covers up to her chin to find herself staring past the foot of her bed to an empty chair near the window and her vanity. The way it was resting there in the corner of her room, she couldn't help but feel pulled to staring at it. Within the next lightening flash, Cynthia was more then shocked to find someone was actually sitting there within it. The outline was brief, but she could see the eyes of the person looking back at her through the darkness. "Who-who are you!" She demanded to know fearfully.

Touya looked back and forth realizing she was speaking to him directly. He could sense she was terrified as he moved himself from the chair he was sitting within, waiting for her to pass. "Don't be scared," he assured her quietly as he made his way over towards her bed slowly. "I am not here to hurt you."

The lightening lighting up his features once more, Cynthia shook her head, still terrified. "What do you want? Who are you? Answer me!"

"Cynthia, it is me," Touya answered as he placed his hand upon his chest to introduce himself. "Touya, the Ice 'Lord'." Seeing she was still in shock, he reached for her hand to touch it with the blanket to try and get her to see that it was indeed him. Her eyes continuing to gaze into his, he smiled reassuringly, hoping she would indeed notice it was the man she had always worshipped.

Coming to the realization that it probably was him, her jaw dropped open in shock. "T-Touya…? My Lord…!" Cynthia happened upon her statue of the ice demon to find the two completely opposite of one another. "You're…!"

"No, I look nothing like that," he answered, aware of what she was about to say. "As you know as of now, most of the towns people are unaware of what I truly look like. And I am not some god, Cynthia…I am a demon." He could tell she could hardly act shocked as it hurt her to do so. Making sure not to touch her body as he could instantly kill her with his touch, he grabbed onto the covers to keep her where she was. "Don't move so much. You may hurt yourself!"

"You're not supposed to be a demon! That is not what I was raised to believe…!" Cynthia insisted almost hysterically. She shook her head several times, unable to believe the news she was just given even though she was staring right at it. "You can't be a demon…you, you can't!"

Touya sighed somberly at her reaction but expressed a smile regardless. "All of the 'Gods' in this town are demons. The only thing Godly about us is our powers. But, Cynthia, we are not evil. We haven't ruled a dark rein for some time now." Grabbing the covers near her face, he used it to shield the coldness of his hand, so he could place it upon her pale cheek. "I am not the one here to hurt you. The evil, malicious, and mutilated souls of the damn you often saw lately in your dying days, _**those **_are the ones you need to be aware of." He frowned angrily at the mere thought of them coming to devour and torment one of his worshippers. "I am here to protect you from them until you are safe in my temple."

Cynthia noticed his actions. It was as though he refused to lie a hand on her. "Why won't you touch me? What is wrong?"

He showed his palms to her from a distance. "If I touch you, the chill alone may kill your body. I cannot risk sending you under so soon. Your body is so frail that even the chill in my temple could overwhelm your human body. So do not touch me unless you are ready to go."

She was quiet, unsure of what to say as she brought the covers closer to her chin. "I am going to die, aren't I?" Sucking in her lower lip, she shook her head not wanting it to be true. "I am going to be dragged to hell, leaving my daughter and husband here."

Touya felt bad for her as it was indeed true, but he couldn't help but remind her of one thing. "But, Cynthia, your first husband is there in my temple waiting for you." Seeing her look a bit shocked, Touya nodded as he placed his hand on her knee. "Tray James' soul is still there after all these years. He is waiting for you on the other side."

"How-how is he?" Cynthia felt the need to ask as she turned slightly only to hiss in pain from her weak body raking her with pain.

Moving his hand to her side, he gently guided her upon her back once more. "Don't move, Cynthia. You're in pain." Upon her getting settled once more, he sat close to her to make sure she wouldn't move again. "He is doing fine. Upon you falling ill, he has been checking on you every now and then with me guiding him here. I didn't want him with me when I knew you would be passing this night." Closing his eyes, he outstretched his hand over her body to move it up and down her form with a heavy sigh. "Your human spirit is quite weak." He opened his eyes and lowered his hand after checking her energy level. "Even me trying to feed you my energy is in vain. I cannot continue to keep you alive."

Cynthia moaned slightly to rub off a bit of pain she was feeling. "You've been keeping me alive…? Why would you do that?" She was still confused as to why a demon would bother trying to keep her from passing on, as she imagined them being beasts that fed off of the souls of the living.

"Because you didn't want to die," Touya answered quietly and with meaning. "I didn't like to see you suffer, but I knew you wanted to live for your daughter."

The sick woman was quiet as she tried to soak in his words to her. "You are my Ice Lord," she seemed to whisper to herself though Touya heard her as well. Deep inside, she knew that he was all along even if his outward appearance and origin was a shock to her. "I thought demons were all evil creatures."

Touya smiled tenderly at her, seeing her coming around a bit. "Most are, but some just did the wrong things in life and are slowly seeing the light."

"I never would have guessed after all these years that it was truly demons we were worshipping," she said quietly.

The ice master made his way to the other side of the bed to look at the statue of himself that had been carved long ago. "I am sure a part of you was aware as you recently have been seeing the damned wandering about the town." His fingers wandered over the handmade statue before placing it back down where Cynthia had it. "With you so close to death, the world of the damned started to awaken to you."

Cynthia stifled a cough she had with her frail hand. "I used to think they were just nightmares brought on by my sickness. I was beginning to think the demons of this town had me and were trying to pull me under with them." She looked over at the ice demon that was hunting through her nightstand drawer now. Touya getting out a match, he lit the blue candle to light up the room a bit better. Her weary eyes watched as he brought the match close to his mouth to blow it before tossing it into her trashcan. She couldn't help but feel lured into his enchanting eyes.

Catching her staring at him, Touya shifted his eyes to peer out the corner of them before turning his head fully to her. "What is it?" He asked with a light chuckle, as she refused to remove her eyes from upon him.

"Your eyes," she mentioned softly. Cynthia tried to reach up for his face only to watch him withdraw. Remembering why, she brought her fingers back and lowered her hand back to the bed. "They are so pretty."

"I am glad you think so."

"They are almost like angel eyes," she went on to say.

Touya paused upon her saying such a thing to him. He raised his brows briefly as if to shrug off the thought. "They are anything _**but**_. I guess if you say so." Opening his hands and facing his palms upright, the ice master created his violin out of ice. The ice shedding off of the instrument and appearing like that of a regular, carved violin, he brought it close to his left shoulder to position it properly and begin to play a melody, which popped into his mind. It was almost sorrowfully in sound.

Cynthia listened contently with a slight smile upon her weary expression. "How could something as caring as you be evil previously?"

The strings screeched slightly as Touya halted what he was playing. Opening his eyes to think back on his past, he remembered blips of it. As the ice master was recalling that part of his life, parts of it appeared upon the mirror. Fires engulfed the mirror, showing that a town had been consumed within it. Thick smoke filling the night air, Scarlet watched as the mirror seemed to break up and crack a bit as if it were having a hard time recalling the memory.

Touya stood on the platform regardless, shaking his head several times as he appeared to be sweating. "No-**NO**!" He yelled as the images began to get racy. One after the other, in no particular order, they began to flash. Burnt and decimated bodies were shown on the ground with women and children screaming. A man soon seen cut in half by a samurai sword, Scarlet watched in horror as he fell to the ground in pieces. The blood drenched sword coming into focus, the mirror panned over to the wielder to show a young boy, probably in his teens, with brown hair within a ponytail and very narrow, blue eyes. He had a very dark, and uncaring frown upon his face. Blood had splattered upon his cheek, and it bothered the boy very little to have it tainting his fair skin. The mirror breaking up again, it seemed to flash a bit closer to his face, to show it was unmistakable that the boy was indeed the ice master once when he was human.

"Kérka durón nók!" Touya growled angrily in demonic, pulling from the mirror to cause it to stop working. He covered his face almost in dismay at having to reveal that part of his life to Scarlet when that wasn't his intention.

Scarlet was scared to move over towards him as he stood there in a hunched over position with his face in his hands. "T-Touya…?"

"I am sorry," he responded in a muffled tone behind his hands. Slowly he removed his palms from his face to look up at Scarlet apologetically. "I didn't mean to show you that." He could sense that the girl was frightened from what she had seen as well as his reaction to letting it be seen. He massaged his forehead as if to relax his mind before turning back to the mirror. "Now, where were we?" Touya wondered with a labored sigh.

The mirror lit back up again to flash back to the moment Touya was shocked over Cynthia's question. "It-isn't important," he responded hesitantly. "The only thing you need to know is I am doing my time and repenting for my sins." Closing his eyes once more to focus on the melody in his mind, he carefully struck the strings with the bow. Opening his eyes for a moment, he spied the blanket Cynthia had been working on resting upon the rocking chair on the opposite side of the nightstand. "Your favorite blanket that you made for Scarlet. Do you plan on giving it to her when you pass?"

"She will no doubt have a hard time with me dying," Cynthia admitted quietly between the two of them. She pointed to the quilt with her hand shaking. "My Lord, take it." Seeing him look at her doubtfully, she continued. "Please, take it and keep it till she is ready to accept it." With Touya about to get up, she stopped him for a moment. "Touya…if I am going to die tonight…I am ready to go now."

The ice master looked at her with a slight raise of his brow. "Are you sure?" He watched as Cynthia struggled to sit up at the very least. Touya was tempted to reach for her, but he withheld the desire to assist her, as he knew that would require touching her frail body.

Cynthia looked at him with a tender smile before suddenly reaching over to grab onto his cold form. The chill rushing through her like a thousand knives, she held onto his shoulders tightly at feeling it hurt her figure. The pain soon residing, Cynthia began to relax a little bit. Her body seemed to be void of the pain. "It-it doesn't hurt anymore," she whispered as her eyes gazed out the window almost void of life. "It doesn't hurt…anymore…"

Closing his eyes, Touya embraced her dead body in return. "I will protect you from the darkness," he whispered, lying her body back down on the bed. Her eyes still open, he closed them for her, so she could rest in peace. Covering her body back up, Touya reached his hand over her chest with his palm facing towards her whilst closing his eyes. Bending his fingers, he turned his palm upwards towards the ceiling to beckon the spirit out of the body. The spirit orb coming from the woman's corpse, Touya kept it in between his hands with a tender smile. "At least your suffering is over."

The images fading from the mirror, Touya looked over at Scarlet to see in the dim lighting she was shedding tears over having to watch her mother die. Stepping down from the platform, he made his way over to the trembling woman to embrace her tightly. His hand cupping the back of her head, he rested his cheek upon hers, as they were almost the same height. "Her death was quick, Scarlet," he whispered to her. "She is happier where she is."

Scarlet held onto Touya's shirt tightly as she managed to force the words out of her mouth that were on the tip of her tongue. "I am sorry," she whimpered sorrowfully. The ice demon's gaze shifting over to her though she refused to look at him, she knew he was curious as to what she was apologizing for. "I didn't mean to blame you for her death all those years. I am so sorry." Her body jerked in his embrace from the heavy crying.

Touya didn't know what to say to her words at first. He knew that anything that could be said would make it seem like she was wrong prior. His hand continued to rub her back to console and comfort her as he kept her close. "Shhh, it will be okay." Knowing it was late, the ice master guided her out of the private chamber and to his bedroom. "It is late. Why don't you just stay here for the night?"

Drying her own eyes, Scarlet sat down on the side of his bed. "I can't say I want to walk all the way back to the Wind Temple, but it sure is cold here." Still sniffling, she rubbed her goose bump covered arms.

"Don't worry, I will get you many blankets to cover up in," said the ice demon as he made his way to his closet to pull a few out. "Not a lot of my worshippers can handle the cold as well, so I have some lying around just in case." He placed the fleece blankets over near the foot of the bed so Scarlet could grab which ones she needed. "If you don't have anything to wear to bed, I can grab something for you to wear as well."

Scarlet rubbed her nose with the back of her hand before answering. "All I have is the clothes I brought with me."

Touya raised his finger to ask for a moment as he searched through his drawers for something she could barrow for the night. "Well, whenever Jin or Kurama would come over to my temple, they would sometimes leave some of their clothing here whenever they would sleep in my temple. Ah, here is one." He pulled out a red shirt with a pink rose sewn onto the bottom, left side with pedals falling from it with red, baggy pants to match. "Kurama's obviously," Touya said mostly to himself as he made his way over to Scarlet to hand it to her. "With how tall he is it should cover you a great deal."

Scarlet took the fabric and held it out from her to nod in approval at his comment. "I would…say so! God, what is he, 5'11?" She was trying to lighten the mood on herself a bit by cracking minor jokes.

"Indeed he is when he is not in his Yoko Kurama form." He headed for the door of his bedroom though stopped to look over his shoulder at Scarlet. "I will leave you in peace for a few so you can get undressed for bed. I will return shortly."

Left alone for the time being, Scarlet looked about the icy, cold room with a soft sigh. "I know you're here, mom," she whispered to the emptiness about her. "I promise I won't continue to be a disappointment to you. I will do my best to make you proud of me." Looking back at the fox demon's clothing she had to put on, she couldn't help but sigh a bit at the thought of how much the attire was going to engulf her.

Scarlet drifted off into sleep upon getting warm for the night. Her spirit wandered into a realm that was like no other. Her fingers touched the cool leaves of the bushes before her to make way for herself. She peered out into the thick forest that was lit up by a few fireflies. _**"Where am I?"**_ She asked herself aloud, making her way through the jungle. Scarlet found herself walking for some time until finally hearing some rather enticing flute music. _**"What is that?"**_

Heading in the direction of the music, the confused woman was led to an opening within the woods. A waterfall cascading from the hills crashed tranquilly down upon a pond. The moonlight attempted to make its way through the leaves of the trees that covered most of the night sky. The light of the full moon lit up some of the foreign areas within her mind. Her gray-green eyes shifted about to find a rock formation in the middle of the pond where the wind demon, Jin, was sitting to play his flute contently. "_**Jin?"**_ Scarlet wondered with a raise of her brow.

Jin's keen ears catching her muttered words, he stopped playing his flute to look over at Scarlet with a toothy grin. _**"Ah, so you made it to me after all."**_ Picking himself up off of the rock thanks to the wind, he glided over towards her to land on the bank of the pond. He could see she was a bit resistant to come closer to him. _**"No need to be scared. I promise it is me."**_

Scarlet made her way out of hiding eventually with a soft smile on her face. _**"So where exactly are we?" **_She sat down within the cool grass all around her, gazing up at the wind demon.

"_**We are in a dream of mine. I come here ever so often to practice playing."**_ Jin leaned slightly over her with his index fingers both pointing upwards as if to motion for her to listen. _**"I beckon my worshippers here sometimes by playing, and I was hoping I would get you here as I wanted to talk to you. But first, watch this!"**_ Jin rubbed his hands together with a grin. _**"So, what do you like? You like satyrs?"**_ Seeing her nod, the wind demon placed his hands together to the left of his body before gradually pulling them apart. His right hand slightly above his head, he lowered it quickly to change his appearance into that of a mythical satyr.

"_**Wha-how did you do that?"**_ Scarlet asked in disbelief even though she saw him do it. _**"I thought you couldn't alternate your spiritual form!"**_

"_**It takes some doing to be able to do it at will, because you believe what you are is what you are,"**_ Jin explained. _**"But with a bit of practice, you can change yourself into anything you want."**_ Taking in a deep breath, the wind demon worked on changing his appearance again into that of a red and white colored Clydesdale. His hands turning into hooves, they pounded into the ground at quite the force. His blue eyes gazing at her, he moved his muzzle over to Scarlet to gently nudge her with it. _**"I can be anything you want and take you anywhere you desire."**_

Scarlet couldn't help but laugh at having a rather large horse talk to her. _**"It is funny seeing you in animal forms."**_

The horse grinned at her comment before having Jin shift again to something smaller. Scarlet looked down at Jin as he transformed into a red and white looking Cheshire cat. _**"You like **__**Alice in Wonderland**__** books, right? I remember looking through your book collection at the house."**_ He chuckled as he grinned largely like the mischievous Cheshire cat would from ear to ear. Without warning, he shifted again back to his normal form but with the Mad Hatter's clothing.

"_**Have you ever read those books?"**_ Scarlet wondered with a raise of her brow. _**"Or even seen the movies?"**_

"_**No," **_he answered simply as he took his top hat off to tip it to her. _**"All I need is to look into your mind and see what is there. So, where would you like to go?"**_

Scarlet twisted her mouth to the side in thought, bringing her index finger up to her lip to tap it. _**"How about a city, glittering in the night sky where nobles show their best?" **_She got to her feet and spun around with a slight giggle. _**"A place with fancy dances!"**_

"_**Alright then!"**_ Clapping his hands together and rubbing them, he took in a deep breath to disturb the dreaming sequence and change it into the one Scarlet described. The sky remaining dark, the forest turned into a city littered with many lights and noblemen and women dressed in nothing but their fanciest outfits. _**"Is this what you wanted?"**_

Her mouth opened in shock, Scarlet watched the women pass by her in the finest silk dresses and fans covered at the tips with feathers and the men dressed in tuxedos of different colors and variations. _**"Wow, it all looks and feel so real!"**_

Taking the green top hat off of his head, Jin only had to shake it to change the color and appearance of his outfit to that of a fancy black suit with a cane. Putting the top hat on the side of his head, he grinned at Scarlet as he pointed at her to change her outfit as well. The wind blowing about the young woman, she found her baggy pajamas transforming into that of a strapless dress with a V-shaped back colored in a sparkling red. He also gave her white elbow length gloves, loop earrings hanging from her pierced ears, and her bi-colored black and blond hair was tied back in a bun with some of her hair falling to her cheeks. Jin grinned as he outstretched his hand for hers. _**"In the spiritual and dreaming worlds, anything is possible."**_

Scarlet smiled the brightest she had in years, it seemed, as she headed on down the cobblestone steps to explore the city Jin had created. The lampposts had candles flickering within the glass to light the way of the city blanketed in night. Leaning in close to the wind master, she rested her head upon his upper shoulder whilst watching the nobles pass by on the street. _**"Where are we going?"**_

Jin spun his cane like he was holding a baton. _**"You'll see,"**_ he said with a smirk. The trail led them to a rather large, circular building. White pillars, several inches away from the other lined the outside, though beckoned the two to walk past them to the red doors handled by two men. Upon them being opened, Scarlet walked in with Jin in awe at the ballroom set before them. Many dancers lined the ballroom floor with their partners, dancing gracefully with one another.

"_**Wow,"**_ Scarlet inhaled sharply at the sight as she walked out to the edge of the dance floor to gaze up at the second floor above her. Some of the residents within the dreaming world were converse with one another, adding to the many words already being spoken there. Her eyes shifted to the very high ceiling to see a crystal, crafted chandelier to light up the room covered in reds and golds—almost royal colors. A band was off to the side, striking up a song, which almost required most couples to waltz.

Tipping the hat to the side, Jin extended his gloved hand again to Scarlet. _**"Care to dance with me?"**_

"_**Oh, Jin, I cannot dance—!"**_ Before Scarlet could say much more, she found herself pulled out onto the dance floor with the wind demon. Nervously standing out there with the others, she let Jin guide her hands where they were supposed to be before being led into the waltz with the others.

"_**I cannot dance well either, but we can stink badly at it together,"**_ he teased with a wink.

The two of them danced for most of the night until Jin chased her playfully out of the ballroom and back outside for them to enjoy the fresh air. Scarlet laughed at Jin's previous conversation remarks as they made it back out into the city. _**"You're so bad!"**_

"_**I've been told that so many a times,"**_ he chuckled as he came up from behind Scarlet to wrap his arms around her. The laughing fits subsiding for the time being, he pressed a smile to try and get Scarlet to relax as he rubbed her arms. _**"You told me before you were ready for me, but I didn't want to risk hurting you." **_Here, he turned her around to look at him. _**"Are you sure you are ready for me to take you again?"**_

Scarlet reached up to grab onto his wrist tenderly to squeeze it reassuringly. She held his hand to her face with a nod. _**"Jin, I want to try and help you as you've helped me."**_

"_**Normally I wouldn't ask such things of you right now, but I am being drained too much lately,"**_ Jin expressed somberly as he guided Scarlet off to somewhere private. _**"Justin allowed me to take him and Razz as well as a few others, but it takes a lot of energy to keep the boundaries about the temple up."**_ He made his way through the dream world and to a private building he knew nobody would be within. The house had one floor and two rooms at the most. Lighting the candles with a simple wave of his hand, he made it over to the bed in the wood, crafted home, which rested over the sea about them. The floorboards creaked with every movement made upon them. Scarlet sitting upon the bed, he joined her while removing his top hat. _**"I warn you now, Scarlet, spiritual intercourse is a lot more intense then physical."**_ The concerned expression on her face prompted him to continue. _**"It might be so intense that I shock you out of sleeping,"**_ Jin explained as he explored his messy hair with his fingers.

Scarlet's fingers gripped onto the covers beneath her gently to try and keep her urge in check. She honestly didn't care what would happen. All she knew was she wanted to be with him. _**"Well…what do you want me to do if you do that to me?"**_

"_**Try and stay with me best you can."**_ Jin began to work on unbuttoning his shirt and removing it from himself. His chest exposed to Scarlet, he tossed his shirt off to the side as the candlelight complimented his features. _**"If you feel yourself about to lose control of your spirit, let me know, and I will try to slow down."**_

Not wishing to wait any longer, Scarlet lunged for the wind demon. Wrapping her arms around him, she kissed him sloppily upon the mouth. Jin was a bit caught off guard by the display of affection. His and her eyes wide, Scarlet pulled back with her fingers over her mouth. _**"I-I am so sorry!"**_

Jin's eyes remained wide, and his lips were still in shock over Scarlet's kiss. A grin creeping across his mouth, he tilted his head to the side. _**"Missed me that much, hu?"**_ When he saw Scarlet tempting to get irritated, he laughed softly with a wave of his hand. _**"I am just kidding. Are you ready for me?"**_

"_**Yes, I am."**_

Reaching behind her, the wind master unzipped her dress slowly to help Scarlet out of it. He found her this time not so hesitant to withdraw and hide herself. _**"You've gotten used to showing yourself? That is good; that is good."**_

"_**It is because I've been waiting for you for some time. I was wondering when you'd touch me like this again,"**_ Scarlet responded as she turned her head slightly to try and accept Jin's oncoming kiss. She was a bit nervous but accepted his lips upon her own to taste of his warm breath and saliva. Her arms wrapped around the back of his neck, she continued to kiss him deeply with a soft moan. Scarlet could feel his hand moving down to her left thigh to situate her better to where she was lying down on her back. Looking up at the wind demon, she took a deep breath and exhaled through her nostrils. _**"I've been waiting for you, Jin."**_

"_**Not getting obsessed over me, are you?"**_ He asked with a brief chuckle, moving his fingers slightly to her cheek to massage it tenderly before working on Scarlet's spiritual form.

--

With Scarlet relaxing shortly after him, Jin knew that was the end of the energy feeding. His spirit sucking up the energy best it could to energize the demon, he took in a deep breath and removed himself from Scarlet's body to let her try and rest her spirit. _**"Take deep breaths and just relax,"**_ he urged as he did so himself, but his were almost that of a breath of fresh air when he was able to reenergize himself. _**"That feels a bit better."**_ He smiled from ear to ear with his eyes closed as if to enjoy the woman's energy.

"_**I feel so tired now…"**_ Scarlet almost whispered with exhaustion as she rested upon her side in order to recollect herself.

"_**That is because I took some of your spirit energy,"**_ said Jin as he brought his legs in to sit Indian style. _**"You'll be able to get it back with the proper amount of sleep and breakfast in the morning."**_

Scarlet turned to her back to look up at the wind demon with a few deep inhales. _**"Why was it such a shock for me to take you spiritually? I don't get that."**_ She gazed into Jin's baby blue eyes through the dimly lit room with a bit of a weary smile. _**"I mean, I know all about the positive and negative charges of spirits, but I wouldn't expect it to be that powerful."**_

"_**It is because of the energy policies that it is so intense," **_Jin explained as he shook his wild red hair about. His chest expanding widely as he took a deep breath only to let it back out again with a bright smile on his face. _**"Our spirit energies are creating high charges with one another when we have a sexual act with each other, and it stores there at your lower region. Think of it like walking on a carpet with your socks on. That storage of energy you create gets more and more intense the more spiritual energy you create for me to feed off of you, and it will excite your entire body. My spirit energy is flushing slightly into yours to prompt you to create more for me to feed off of. As soon as I enter you, the energy begins to accumulate. It was probably a reason why you nearly woke up right away." **_Jin caught her soft blush in the room. _**"Don't be so embarrassed. I have had it happen before to people who weren't used to it."**_

Thinking back on what Touya had showed Scarlet before she went to bed, she looked off to the side to watch the flickering flame dance about under the influence of the soft breeze within the room. _**"Touya showed me my mom giving birth to me and her death thanks to his special mirror."**_

"_**Oh, he did, did he?"**_ The demon picked at something under one of his nails as if to keep himself occupied. _**"I have one of those mirrors too. I cannot say I've looked at it in some time though."**_ He shrugged, situating himself under the covers with her. _**"But I do peek at it from time to time to gaze back at the old days."**_

The scarred woman sighed softly. _**"It was…more extreme to watch that then what I just went through."**_

Jin was unsure of what to say on the matter as he rested there along side of her. His knuckles against his cheek, he moved his hand to touch the bi-colored tresses of Scarlet with a reassuring smile. _**"Seems you've had a long day and night. Why don't you get some rest?"**_ He reached over to help guide Scarlet near his chest. _**"I will make sure nothing happens to you, Scarlet. Sleep well and I will see you later."**_

Scarlet had no complaints whatsoever. She rested her head upon Jin's broad chest with a relaxed smile upon her face, knowing that she would be able to sleep peacefully.


	32. Chapter 32

_**Author's Notes**_: Sorry for the wait on this one. I was marking a story off of my to-do list. =)

**Sex scene is deleted further down this chapter because of FanFiction's rules. The unedited can be seen on MediaMiner. The link is in my profile. =3**

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Stirring in her sleep, Scarlet steadily aroused from the deep slumber she was within. Her eyes managing to focus to the surrounding area, she was able to make out that someone was hovering over her. Scarlet's heart leapt within her throat at realizing that the wind master was watching her sleep ever so closely. "My God!" She exclaimed quietly, grasping her breast.

"Good morning!" Said Jin rather excitedly, jerking his head backwards out of her way when Scarlet's body jolted as it did. When Scarlet threatened to smack him, the wind master hovered away from her with his legs crossed and his hands within his lap. "I know it is early, but it is time for your daily routine to get started." Jin watched as she grabbed her pillow and buried her face within it. Seeing her wanting to ignore him, the demon puffed out his cheeks with an irritable, nostril sigh. "Scarlet, you need to get up! Besides, Touya wants to talk to you as well today!"

Growling within her throat, she removed the pillow from where it was resting over her face. "Well, _**somebody**_ just had to drain my energy last night!" While she craved the interaction with the wind demon, she never knew it would get her feeling so lethargic in the morning hours.

His eyebrow twitching a bit in irritation, Jin pouted and looked the other way with his arms crossed. "Well, and here I thought you wanted me to. What was all that begging you did once just to be taken by me?" The soft pillow soon met with Jin's face rather harshly as Scarlet threw it directly at the wind master, knocking him from the air and prompting him to land firmly on his back with a load thud.

"You're so horrible!" She yelled with a bright blush across her face.

Jin removed the pillow from his face with a dazed look before bringing himself back to reality with a few shakes of his head. "Now, now don't be that way." A mischievous grin was upon the demon's face as he got to his feet. "I know you enjoyed it and so did I." Seeing her threaten to throw another pillow at him, Jin was quick to react by bringing the one he had up close to his face. "Okay, okay, no need to get feisty now." He peeked slowly over the pillow to make sure it was safe to come out from hiding before getting to his feet with a grunt. "Anyways, make sure you go get yourself some breakfast, and I will meet you outside for exercise. We're going to jog our way to Touya's place."

"Is it about my training under him?" She inquired curiously, letting her legs hang over the bedside as she stretched out her exhaustion.

"Quite possibly," said Jin as he made his way to the door, tossing the pillow back at her for her to catch. "I expect you to grab breakfast and then to meet me outside of the temple." Turning from the doorway, Jin made his way down the hallway cautiously, as he knew some malicious demons were wandering the area. He watched as some of the worshippers bypassed him as if it were nothing at all. Jin nodded to those who could see him and moved out of the way of those who couldn't. Making it to the main worshiping room, Jin slowed his stride to a complete and total stop. The silence in the room was deafening to him. Wiggling his ears a good bit, he looked left and then right to find the torches either unlit or slowly dying in energy. Hearing the wind around him, Jin became a bit nervous as he listened to the souls whispering across the temple. The voices hissed sharply and with worry, putting the wind master on alert.

_Behind you…__**BEHIND YOU!**_

Hearing the warnings, Jin was quick to jump out of the way and just in time as a demonic creature with many spikes protruding about its brown, charred skin lashed at him from behind. Blood tainted the beast's mouth, elongated talons and spikes. The demon was hunched over with a very slender appearance—it almost looked anorexic with the skin clinging so tightly to the skin.

Jin growled angrily at the beast having made it inside of his temple, his features relaxing into a sort of shock at the blood all over it. "Blood…what have you been eating!" He demanded to know, his right hand turning into an enraged fist, as Jin had an idea as to what.

The demon grinned wickedly at Jin's question, showing his fangs. His scissor like nails rubbed together as he came slowly closer to the wind master. "You won't need them," his warped voice remarked eerily.

His eyes widened, he saw behind the beast, lying in the darkness, probably fifteen bodies at most covered in crimson on the floor. Each was stained with blood, limbs ripped from the bodies and flesh torn. "You bastard!" He growled angrily as he lunged for the beast with his fist reared back.

The monster was quick to avoid the attack. Dodging to the side just in time, his nails clawed at Jin's side, cutting the wind master's hard, demonic skin. Jin fell to the floor with a harsh thud, his wounds bleeding immensely from the attack. Slowly, he tried to push himself up from the ground to gaze at the dead bodies in front of him while immersed in pain. _They were too weak against him…he is too high of a demon._

Using his foot, the demon pushed Jin's head into the ground with a twisted groaning sound in the back of his throat. "Now that you have come out, demon," the beast hissed within the wind master's head as if to taunt him, "I don't have to worry about hunting you down in this human infested maze." His mouth opening widely in an abnormal way, the demon appeared as though it would sink its fangs into Jin's neck just to break it.

A pillow being thrown at the morbid creature caught him by surprise. "Get off of him, ugly!" One of the priestesses said bravely. It appeared to be a rather feisty strawberry blond, though Rachael and Justin accompanied her with two other priests and another priestess.

"Sarah!" He exclaimed, coughing on his own blood for a moment as he struggled to catch his words. "Get out of here…!"

A smirk appearing on the demon's features, he turned towards the bold humans, who dared to stand in his way. Throwing its head back angrily, it let out a furious, warped sounding howl. The six humans knowing he was going to attack, nervously stood their ground from where they were standing side by side. They all knew they couldn't take him on, but they were willing to try for the sake of their master.

Seeing the creature make a beeline for his worshippers, Jin scrambled to get to his feet with a disgruntled growl. His hands able to grab onto the demon about the neck, he managed to wrap his muscular arm around its throat to try and strangle it. "You are not going to hurt them!" With Jin so weak, he wasn't able to put much force into it, causing the demon to throw him across the room till his back smashed against one of the pillar structures.

A scream coming from one of the archways, the demon shot his gaze over towards the horrified Scarlet. The other worshippers in the temple spying her as well, Justin hurried over towards her upon seeing the malicious demon making a mad dash for her. Grabbing Scarlet just in time, the high priest raised his free hand to create a powerful windblast to knock the creature away from the frightened woman. "It's okay!" Justin whispered between them in a labored tone, his flowing robes wrapped about Scarlet in a tight embrace. "Just stay close to me."

Rachael saw the injuries on Jin from where he was lying unconscious for the time being. "He's hurt," she whispered to Sarah. "You must help me heal him!"

"Yeah, but how are we going to keep the demon at bay?" Sarah asked with a shake of her braided hair, which reached down to her knees.

"We'll distract him!" The other priestess in the group answered as she was in a Japanese martial arts kind of stance. Her short, black hair nearly covered her right eye as her brown eyes darted about the room, watching the demon slowly coming their way. "Chris and Jonathan, come with me!"

As soon as the three took off towards the high-class demon, Rachael and Sarah headed for Jin hastily. Rachael helped Jin to at least his knees while Sarah gathered what energy she could to try and heal the wind demon. The power being gathered in between her hands, she pushed her palms outward to place them upon the wounds Jin had sustained.

"My Lord, you must wake up!" Rachael exclaimed as she shook the wind demon to try and rouse him. When he didn't respond, she took her hand to slap him across the face in hopes that would work.

Moaning softly, Jin opened his eyes slowly to let everything come into focus. "What happened…?" He asked, grabbing onto his head, shaking it briefly. "Damn, my back. That hurt…!" Jin hissed in pain as he rubbed it. Hearing the screams of the demon being attacked and stalled by the three worshippers, he was quick to recall what had gone on previously. "That bastard!" He growled angrily only to withhold from joining the fray as the pain struck his side.

"Be still, my Lord!" Sarah demanded as she kept her hands over his wounds regardless of how much blood was pouring over them. She was putting as much healing energy as she could to try and give him back his energy and conceal the injury. "They will be fine. You have trained them well."

Jin had trained some of his higher ups the art of Ninjutsu as he was a long time ago under his master. He wanted to make sure the humans were able to fight for themselves should he ever not be able to arrive in time. Watching as the demon managed to claw at Jonathan, sending the high priest to the ground in pain, Jin's anger began to rise again. "I can't stand and watch this!" Jin roared loudly as he pushed Sarah and Rachael out of his way. His expression the most angered anybody had ever seen him, Jin brought up his fists to focus the wind around them before attacking the monster with one swift punch to the face. "Leave them alone!"

The demon was knocked out for a moment, only to get back to his feet slowly with a sick and twisted grin. He seemed to make his way slowly back towards the aggressive wind master only to stop when the demon hunched over in pain. "It…it **BURNS**!" He growled loudly, falling to his knees with his arms around his body.

Jin kept on his guard regardless until he saw the demon suddenly catch on fire. Surprised, the wind demon backed up and allowed the beast to burn into nothing but a smoldering ash pile. "Only one demon I know of who could do that…" He turned his attention to the front doors to find Hiei standing there with his Jagan eye out, glowing a bright purple color. "Hiei…!"

"I understand Justin is yours as well, but don't put his life in jeopardy, because he is also mine," Hiei remarked sternly. The fire demon tried to hide the fact he had also come to the wind master's rescue, not wishing a comrade to fall. Walking over to the burned demon, his red, narrow eyes gazed coldly over the corpse. "Worthless beast."

Remembering Jonathan was hurt, Jin quickly hurried to the priest to help him at least to his knees. "Are you okay!"

"I'll be fine," Jonathan insisted through the pain. "But what about them?" He nodded over at the worshippers, who were not so lucky to escape the demon and met their death at his hands.

Jin turned his attention to the dead bodies on the floor in the shadows of the temple. He shook his head at the mess the demon had made in his path. "I am so drained I cannot even hear when my people need me."

Scarlet watched from where she was still hidden in Justin's robes, still horrified by the event. She couldn't find the words to speak as Justin helped her over towards the others to look into the situation as well.

Justin released her, making his way over to the wind master to make sure he was at least alright. "My Lord," he whispered, "You really should get your injuries checked out before you press on today."

Shaking his fiery red hair, Jin sighed heavily as he held onto the wound he had received. "I will look into getting it bandaged. But I need to send these souls on before I do anything else." Sorrowfully, the wind master made it over towards the piles of ripped and half eaten bodies to start his ritual. Even if it was going to drain most of his energy, he focused on the human souls still trapped within the corpses. Slowly, one by one, the darkened temple lit up by several blue orbs of light. The souls finally freed from their physical form, Jin turned his hand around to push his palm upwards to raise them a bit further before pulling them to him with his fingers motioning towards his body. "At least you are all free from this nightmare." Jin then sent the spirits out into the temple before losing what energy he had left, collapsing onto his front with a loud thud.

"Jin!" All of the worshippers exclaimed as they ran to the wind demon's side.

Hiei just stood there watching the body of the wind master. Making his way over towards the wind demon, he placed his index and middle finger upon his upper right shoulder to give him what energy he could before disappearing completely from the room.

With the other demon gone for now, Scarlet looked over at the redhead in worry. "Jin!" Grabbing onto his shoulders, she began to shake him to get the demon to wake up.

Jin groaned as he opened his eyes slowly, looking around the room for a second to realize he was given some of Hiei's energy before the demon left him. Rubbing his head with a soft sigh, he looked out at the corpses with a shake of his head still. "I need to get them all buried." Looking to Scarlet, he tried to press a smile to relax her. "You wouldn't mind if I waited a moment or two on our jogging adventure, would you?"

She found it bizarre how quickly he covered up how he felt about the situation. "S-Sure…" Scarlet released Jin's arms, allowing the priests and priestesses to help him to his feet. Her eyes kept a close watch on how they were quick to escort him to at least his seat at the back of the room. Not able to stand the smell of the blood, Scarlet was quick to follow behind them.

"We'll be right back," Sarah insisted. "We'll get some people to help bury them and give them a proper funeral."

When they all hurried out of the main room, Scarlet walked slowly up to Jin with her hands folded in front of her. She witnessed as he appeared to be in thought with his hand cupping his chin and him looking off to the side. "Jin, are you going to be okay?" She got down on her knees to rest her hands upon his closest thigh.

Jin moved his hand from where it was so he could speak clearly. He smiled weakly down at Scarlet with a nod. "I'll be fine." He placed his hand upon her bi-colored hair to mess it up slightly from his hand moving back and forth. "I am just getting tired of all these pointless attacks. And this is all because the demons want out into the world."

Scarlet knew letting a bunch of high-class demons into the world was asking for trouble, so she said nothing about it. "You're still low on energy. I can sense it."

He moved his leg slightly as if to make sure she didn't try anything. "I am fine," he answered with a chuckle, seeing the irritable expression rising on her already. Knowing she probably didn't like him laughing at her anger, he covered his mouth for a second though the laughter could still be seen in his eyes.

"You're so damn stubborn!" Scarlet exclaimed quietly between them. Not wanting to take no for an answer this time, she straddled his legs and forced a kiss on his lips. It was rather sloppy in nature, as she wasn't used to such kissing.

Jin's eyes were wide upon her desire to kiss him so quickly. When Scarlet moved away from the kiss, he kept his shocked expression before cocking a brow at her with an almost smug look. "Feel better now?"

Scarlet sighed, shaking her head at his actions. "I don't know what I am going to do with you. I can't seem to ever please you as I want to." She had no desire to look him directly in the eyes at that moment. Hearing him sigh slightly, his palm cupped her chin to help her look into his deep, blue eyes.

"You shouldn't feel that way," said Jin seriously as he kept his gaze locked into her gray-green eyes. "I just don't want to bring you onto me too soon. It isn't anything in particular about you, but more along the lines of, I don't trust myself." His eyes were alluring for the young woman as they glistened off of the few surviving lit candles. "As long as you don't mind me possibly losing it mentally, then I don't mind it."

She was quiet for a moment, reaching for his cheek to touch him there with her palm. Scarlet watched as he leaned into her palm to allow her to touch him there. "But I trust you, Jin."

Hearing her say such a thing brought his eyes quickly back to hers. "You have more faith in me then I do in myself." His elfin ears catching the sounds of the oncoming humans, he turned his head slightly towards the archway he could sense them coming from before eyeing Scarlet once more. "You must wait till later." Picking Scarlet up, he moved her back to her feet before getting to his own. "We'll discuss this in a bit." When the grave attendants showed up, Jin pointed over towards the bodies. "They need to be buried. Please, give them the best burial you know how to. I will help and get this all situated."

The wind blowing contently, yet almost sorrowfully, the fifteen killed by the high-class demon were buried in the wind master's graveyard. The graveyard seemed to go for many miles when Scarlet was able to see it within the back of the temple outside. Scarlet paid little attention to the ceremony as they sang a sort of somber melody to those who died. She watched the grave markers go on for miles. With everyone's head bowed, she started to wander deeper within the graveyard, the wind tossing about her black and blond hair. None of the names struck any cord whatsoever regarding anyone she knew, though most, in the furthest part, were mostly eroded and warn away. Suddenly, one came into sight—Teresa.

Stopping for a second, she remembered the ill-stricken girl coming into the store back when she used to work there and all of the things she spoke to Scarlet about. "Teresa…" she mostly whispered upon the wind. Kneeling down in front of the grave, she saw the date she was born and the day she died etched into it.

"You remember her," came Jin's voice from behind Scarlet. With her looking over at him in shock, he smiled tenderly down at Scarlet to show he didn't mind her wandering in the graveyard he had.

"The circumstances in which she died was…terrible," Scarlet admitted with a heavy sigh, as her hands wandered over the arch of the stone. "How is she doing, anyways?"

Jin offered his hand to Scarlet to allow her to stand. "Teresa is doing okay. She is no longer in pain and that is the most important part." He looked out at the many gravestones with a bit of a content smile. "So many people and so many years. Some of the years I regret with how I acted, but they were still loyal to me."

"There are so many indeed," whispered Scarlet as she looked out at the miles long of stone. Her eyes shifted to the left to find a few gravestones decorated in many flowers. She nodded over at them with a curious look. "Why are those so colorful while everything else isn't?"

The wind demon headed towards them with his hands in his pockets. "The reason they are is because they were my servants." A smile came upon Jin's face making it to where their bodies were buried. "They were my special men and women and always will remain so." He stopped at the last one, apparently there not being many in the demon's line of work.

Scarlet followed behind him to read some of the many names popping up on the tombstones. "Stephanie, Pat, Lola, Penelope, Trevor…some men were your servants too."

Jin nodded, "More then likely they were bisexual or gay, so it wasn't awkward for them." He looked to Scarlet with a bit of a shrug. "Anyways, we did plan on going out jogging to Touya's temple, so I believe we should do that."

"You change your attitude so quickly. It is as if you hate to have someone catch you at a vulnerable time," Scarlet pointed out, following behind the wind demon, as they made their way out onto the walkway.

"I just hate to be sad over something that has a brighter side to things," Jin admitted as he stretched out along their stroll. "While my worshippers were killed, I got their spirits out in time, and I was able to sent them into a world where they are protected."

"But, the afterlife," Scarlet inquired as she stretched a bit with him, "isn't it just them being pulled under to hell?"

"You label 'hell' like it is some torture chamber." Jin appeared a bit miffed by her comment towards it. "Hell isn't some pit of sorrow and despair. It has its woodlands, cities, and marvels. It isn't all full of evil, especially if you have the right people watching over your spirit." Here, he pointed at himself. "Now, are you ready?" Jin placed his hands upon his lower thighs. He was ready to take on a jogging challenge.

"Yes, I am ready," said Scarlet as she was finished warming herself up a bit.

Jin reached over to place his hand on Scarlet's shoulder. "Good, now-**GO**!" Upon saying that, he pushed the young woman back a bit to give himself a playful head start. He laughed back at her, jogging ahead.

"Hey, you ass! No fair!" Scarlet barked in return though she knew he was just messing around with her. She still wanted to make it to the demon in time, prompting her to try and pick up speed only to have the demon remain in front of her.

"Might want to keep up!" He laughed upon feeling her hand smack him upon the back. "Now, now, don't get too angry with me!" Jin teased her for miles. "Come on, I taught you better then that!"

Touya was within his main hall of worship around the entrance of his temple when he heard the two coming to the large, double doors. Their playful, muffled banter catching his ears, he rolled his eyes and shook his head upon them making their appearance into the Ice Temple. "Playing around per usual, eh, Jin?"

"Awe, what is the point of having a straight face all the time?" He asked with a cheesy smile, placing his arms behind his head. "Besides, I brought her here, didn't I?"

"I just wanted her here to give her something. I am afraid I don't have time to spare many words." Touya pulled out a rather worn book in black leather covering. "If you want to work on your studies as being my priestess, I need you to read and memorize this book." He watched as Scarlet took it rather hesitantly seeing as it was a rather thick book, probably 500 pages at most. "Once you have it down to heart, just let me know, and I will begin my training with you. I am sure I will find a way to fit it in your schedule, my dear." He couldn't help but gaze at Jin at this moment with a raise of his brow.

"What?" Jin asked with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'll give you time for her, goodness."

Touya turned back to Scarlet with a tender look. "Anyways, read that book and be prepared for me." With that said, the ice demon waved goodbye to them both before turning away from them.

Scarlet brought the book close to her chest, turning around to Jin. "I hope everything is okay. He appeared to be in quite the hurry."

Hearing her say such a thing, Jin went on alert to listen and smell the temple for himself. "Well, nothing is really amiss at the moment. I would say he is probably just very busy with a few people." Hovering slightly off of the ground, Jin moved backwards. "Come on, we're not done with our jog."

We jogged for many miles until I found myself about to pass out. When I threatened to ball-knock Jin is when the man believed it was finally time for a break, so we headed back to the Wind Temple.

Scarlet collapsed upon her bedcovers with her arm resting over her forehead. "I don't know why you have to keep insisting on extending my jogging routine." She breathed in and out steadily to try and regain herself, knowing that was the best way to do it. Her body was sweating from the strenuous workout.

"I just push you a bit further, because I know the more you can handle, the better," Jin explained while resting against her closed door, his arms crossed over his chest. "I have pushed some other worshippers of mine who needed their energy back. You're not the first, and I doubt you'll be the last." He chuckled, giving her a slight wink.

She rolled her eyes at his comment though couldn't help but remember what was said back in the main hall. "Jin, what exactly did you mean earlier?" Hearing the demon hum in question at what she was referring to, Scarlet continued. "You said it wasn't me you didn't trust, it was yourself." She lowered her arm from her forehead, placing her hands upon her stomach.

Jin appeared to frown, shifting his blue eyes upon the ground with a slight shrug. "Well, to be honest, when I took you for the first time, it was overwhelming for me." His mind recalling what it felt like to touch her with his own body, Jin attempted to shake the thought out of his mind. "I have never touched a human woman or man physically before, as I told you, and I thought I could handle it easily. But, when I did take you, after we were done, I just wanted to go again even if you were tired. While you slept, I resisted the urge of just raping you." His eyes became serious and stern almost, as Jin was thinking about his problem that night. "When I opened you, I felt like I was human again…for those few moments I was coupled with you."

"I thought you didn't want to be human again," said Scarlet as she sat upright in bed.

"Just because a demon doesn't like the thought of mortality doesn't mean they don't desire the thought of being human once again." Closing his eyes, he rested the back of his head against the door behind him. "To feel how warm and alive you felt nearly drove me to the brick of maddening desire. And once I managed to get the thought out of me, I promised myself I would never do it physically again to _**anyone**_."

Scarlet was quiet, unsure of how to take what he just told her. "Did I seriously do something that bad for you…?" When Jin didn't answer right away, she sighed whilst bringing her knees to her chest. "Jin, I am sorry. I didn't mean to do that to you. But you do realize that if anytime you needed to take me, I would have done my best to please you."

"Do you honestly feel that way?" Asked Jin from where he remained within the dimly lit room.

Placing her hand on her hurting heart, she nodded at his question. "When you took me that night, I felt so close to you. I couldn't get the thought out of my head either." Her eyes lined with tears at having to confess it all aloud in worry of how he would take it could almost be seen from the candlelight, flickering upon her nightstand. "Do you honestly think I did a better job of hiding my desire for you again?"

The wind master grinned widely, winking at her. "Well, you were terrible at that."

Scarlet didn't have it in her to be mad at his straightforward answer. "Jin, you were my first, and even being a virgin for so long, I know that is something special to a lot of people." Being bold, she released the tension she had within the covers she had before standing to her feet to work on removing her top by pressing her thumb against the buttons one by one to unbutton it. Removing the fabric from her body, she let the white top fall to the ground not minding the fact Jin was staring at her now. When the demon did nothing but look down at her revealed chest only to gaze at her again, Scarlet began to slowly advance towards him with her arms open. "Jin, I know you never mean to hurt me. You've done too much to make me think that."

Jin tried not to act upon impulses, remaining there as if what he was looking at was nothing too special. "Don't bait me, please," he remarked sternly to her.

Getting to her knees, Scarlet looked up at him with her arms out still. "Please, Jin, I am offering myself to you." When he refused to budge from where he stood, she lowered her head as if to bow. "Please, my Lord. I am giving my body to you! I gave it to you forever ago, and I am offering it to you again."

"Scarlet," Jin whispered for both of them to hear. When she looked up at him, the wind demon grabbed onto the rim of his sleeveless, black top to pull it up and over his head to toss to the side. "If you don't mind me taking you again, I will try my best to hold it together." He got down on his knees as well, cupping her cheek, which he could feel was slightly wet—probably from tears. "Just bare with me best you can."

Wrapping her arms tightly around his firm neck, she rested her cheek upon his shoulder. "You were my first." She spoke softly and with a slight strain on her voice, as if to hold back her sobs. "You always will be special to me. I don't care what you do so long as it is with me."

Holding her close, Jin smiled to himself as he picked Scarlet up in his arms so he could make his way over towards her bed. Placing her human body down upon the soft covers, he moved his over her. He nuzzled into her neck, kissing her skin gently before biting it tenderly with a soft growl. His pants still on, he rolled his hips forwards to rock against her gently. "I never meant to lead you on," he whispered within the crook of her neck. "I just didn't want to be with you unless I believed you could handle me."

Scarlet listened to his words closely before relaxing against the covers again. Turning her head, she kissed him within his wild, red hair. "It's okay." When he turned his face to meet hers, she moved his strands of hair out of his face. "I love you, Jin."

Hearing her say that, he chuckled and shook his head. "You're in love with my body," he said bluntly with a smirk. "I drive you too crazy to have you love me."

She couldn't resist the urge to punch him in the shoulder this time. "That is not true, and you know it." After his playful 'ouch', the wind demon seemed to pull back slightly to hover over her. Reaching up for his face, Scarlet gently massaged his cheeks with her fingers. "Maybe I always found you unbearable for a good while, but you have helped me out of the darkness. You got me out of that hellhole of a house, helped me through my depression, and you got me back into a healthier disposition on life." Scarlet attempted to beckon him towards her, but he was clueless as to what she wanted out of him. Pushing up off of the bed a bit to reach him, she moistened her lips before placing them upon his for a loving kiss.

Jin was a bit hesitant to be that into a physical kiss from someone until he found himself relaxed into it. He kissed her in return, deeply and lovingly for a moment before pulling back to look into her eyes. Finding a stray, black hair in her face, he took care in moving it behind her ear to get a better look at her face. "I wish I could say it in return that I love you, but I cannot given the circumstances. But that doesn't mean I don't feel something special for you, Scarlet, regardless of your stubborn attitude as well." He spared a brief chuckle within his throat upon the last word he spoke.

"Whenever you find the time to do so, I am sure it will be worthwhile." Scarlet kissed Jin briefly upon his lips. "Now, if you need my energy, you can have it."

(**Edited**)

After their time together, Scarlet remembered what Jin said prior; she looked up at the wind master to stroke his head tenderly. "Are you doing okay?"

Jin nodded, his eyes closed while he breathed heavily through his slightly opened mouth. "I'll be fine. I promise," he remarked breathlessly. Looking at her from one eye he opened, he chuckled softly. "Thanks for the energy, by the way." Scarlet stayed beside the wind master watching him, as if waiting for something. It caught Jin's attention after awhile of sparing a glance or two at her as well. "What is it? You look like you're waiting for something."

"After the last time we did this, you scampered off because of the feelings you had. I am just waiting for you to suddenly vanish while I am asleep," she admitted with a slight yawn, feeling drained.

The wind demon offered her a smile before reaching over to place his hand upon her side. "I am sorry for that. It was wrong of me to leave you during such a time, but I had my reasons. You understand."

Scarlet nodded and mouthed 'I know'. "So you promise you're not going to leave me resting her alone? Last time you did that, I woke up to a demon dog attacking me."

"Well, with that barrier now around your door, you cannot be attacked. You'll be safe as long as you are in here." He looked beyond the bed to the door he could just see from where he was resting near Scarlet. "But, I do promise I won't leave you this time. I will remain here for now with you." Jin looked at her with partially lidded eyes as if to show his exhaustion as well. "Now, get some sleep. You'll need it. We can both shower when we're more awake from our misadventure."

Scarlet closed her eyes, resting her head back upon Jin's, finding it warm and inviting. The awkward beating of his heart lulled her to sleep for the late morning nap.

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	33. Chapter 33

Scarlet had fallen asleep, one day, with the fairly lengthy book covering her face that Touya had asked her to read from cover to cover. She had managed to get to page 200 or so, from what she could remember last, before deciding to shut her eyes to enjoy the warmer weather that summer. However, as she was trying to enjoy herself, the book was soon lifted off of her face to reveal the ice master standing there with a not so impressed look in his narrow eyes. "Hard at work as always, I see," he grumbled a bit, causing Scarlet to look unimpressed at his remark. "I swear, you're getting as lazy as Jin these days."

Snatching the book back from Touya, Scarlet sat upright on the bench about the Ice Temple. "Sorry, but the warm weather was just begging to be relaxed within." She stretched her arms outward to get any unnecessary kinks out of her body.

"Ever heard of reading in this horribly warm weather?" Touya couldn't stand the obsessive heat that summer. He knew he was risking his health at just being outside at that moment. "Exactly what page are you on?"

"I don't know," mumbled Scarlet as she tried to remember exactly. "I guess maybe…page 235 or something?" At that moment Touya was quick to whack her on the back of the head with the book. "Owe! Jeez! What's your deal!" She exclaimed, covering the back of her head.

"Scarlet! I gave this book to you a year ago!" He scolded, remembering the time well enough himself. "And you haven't even finished it!"

Scarlet bit her lower lip as she took the book back from Touya irritably to whack him in return for what he did to her. "Jin has been keeping me busy, and that's why I haven't been able to!"

Touya crossed his arms over his chest to lean forwards with an unimpressed look upon his face. "More like you've been lazy this summer!" He growled, narrowing his eyes. "I know Jin has been giving you all the time in the world to read that book and complete it—and it should have been done several months ago!" He raised his voice upon the last set of words, showing how agitated he was at Scarlet wanted to commit to his ways, but not trying to even open herself to doing so in the least.

Looking up at the sky, Scarlet rolled her eyes at the lecture she was receiving. "It is just so damn long!" She griped, opening back up the book. "It was easier being a servant!" She brought her legs up to crisscross upon the marble bench, so she could continue reading against her desire to do so.

"A lot more is involved in being a priestess, so you better be prepared for that." Touya could feel a cool breeze blowing about, prompting him to look off in that direction with a bit of a smile sensing it was coming from the Wind Temple. "Besides, this is what your mother wanted from you. If you need motivation, think on that." With that said, he pulled from Scarlet's side to make his way back inside where he'd be less likely to burn up in the heat.

Scarlet sighed to herself, thinking about that tidbit of information before opening up the book once more to begin reading seriously. A year had gone by, indeed, making Scarlet go up in age of 26. The year had been a pleasant one with a few nasty, demonic surprises here and there, but she had found herself catching back up to a healthy lifestyle. Thanks to the doctor's help, she was able to get back on her feet and not worry about cutting any longer. It had been almost a year since she last touched herself with a sharp object of any kind. She knew that coming Saturday would mark the year point of that as Jin had been keeping notes of it. She had been trying to keep up with her studies with both Jin and Touya while getting better.

Catching the time on her wristwatch, Jin had bought her for her last birthday seeing as she didn't have any means of knowing when to go where at what time without searching for a nearby clock. "Almost time for my appointment with Donavon!" She nearly panicked at the time upon getting to her feet to hurry towards his office.

Donavon was still within his office reading up on a few of his patients when he heard a knock upon his door. "Come in," he called, removing his glasses from the slope of his nose to place upon the desk. Spying Scarlet coming through the door, he smiled upon her entering. "Well, nice of you to show up…somewhat on time," he joked lightly, pointing to the open seat before him.

"Sorry," she apologized while taking her seat. "I had to get into it with Touya, because I am not reading is massive book fast enough."

"Neh, I just think this weather makes you a bit lazier then usual," Donavon teased as he rummaged through the papers in front of him to find the ones on Scarlet. "So how have things been lately? Is everything still on track?" He began writing a few notes on the piece of paper upon his clipboard.

"Everything is going good as usual," said Scarlet, as she gazed off to the side a moment. She couldn't help but also gaze down at the watch Jin had given her as a practical gift. The young woman couldn't help but smile before Donavon's voice brought her back to the present. "What? What is it?"

The doctor couldn't help but chuckle at her ability to get sidetracked so easily these past few months. "Something is obvious been on your mind." He put his pen down, intertwining his fingers upon the clipboard to show he was listening.

Scarlet was a bit embarrassed just thinking about it as she moved her fingers over the cover of the watch. "I know you're not going to say anything to anybody about this because it is confidential, but I do have something I want to hope you'd never bring to the surface." She witnessed as Donavon instructed her to continue. "Ever since my ceremony with Jin, I've been feeling a big desire for him lately." Scarlet was a bit hesitant to unleash her feelings on the subject, as she felt it was all very personal. "And, I am a bit torn about it all seeing as Silvia went a bit crazy over her connection with Shishi…sometimes I wonder if what I feel for him is natural or should be allowed."

The young doctor couldn't help but chuckle against his hand a bit, hoping she wouldn't find his first reaction unprofessional. "I am afraid in cases like Silvia's are not so few and far in between. Many men and women who have experienced such events fall pray to the feelings afterwards that you are experiencing. Some just have better control over it then others," Donavon explained with a few movements of his hands to illustrate the situation better. "Seeing as you don't seem to be having a negative reaction out of Jin, I'd say you have a decent handle on the situation." He reached over for his glasses to place back upon his nose to read what it was he was jotting down.

Her mouth was hesitant to form words, but she managed to do so upon finding the courage. "But, the thing is…I am the first he has taken physically, and he himself admitted it was almost an addiction upon that moment." She noticed how Donavon paused in his writing to look up at her with a sort of serious look. "He told me that he wanted to control himself when he did it the first time, so he went out to be alone. We talked about a few things on the second moment he did so, and more then anything, I wanted him to say he loved me…but," Scarlet paused momentarily, "…he refused."

"Wow," said Donavon, sitting upright to have most of that soak in. "So he actually did a physical ceremony that year ago?" He couldn't help but chuckle again. "You must have been something to him for the stubborn ox to finally let down his boundaries to do such a thing." He looked off to the side, as if to reminisce about something. "For as long as I've known him, Jin has been pretty much to himself. He'll help those he cares for, but he never seemed the type to devote himself to one person. I know he had his servants he held in high regard, but not one did he touch in such a way." Donavon paused this time when he gazed back at Scarlet. "Now, for him to say such a word to you, tell me when, because he sure has come around if he ever does."

Scarlet excused herself from her seat to walk over to the lengthy window in the office that showed the outside world, basking in the summer sun. "But, the thing is, my heart is torn in two over this. Should I try to say something about this to him or just move on and find someone else?"

"That depends on your willingness," said Donavon honestly as he spun his chair slowly to continue facing Scarlet. "The way I view Jin is a wild stallion that cannot be easily tamed. He is as free as the wind itself, and if you are willing to try and put up with his antics of avoiding your advances for awhile, well, he just may eventually cave." Scarlet gazed upon him with a bit of exhaustion in her gray-green eyes at the mere thought of such a thing. "Though, you can very well look for someone else. It is all up to you and what you desire. I warn you though that either path will be riddled with quite an emotional ride, which I hope you can make it through."

She shook her head with a bit of a smile, turning from the window Scarlet had taken her time to gaze out through. "I am sure. Don't worry about me. I know disappointment comes along every now and then."

When her appointment was over, Scarlet found herself walking back towards the Wind Temple with the cool breeze brushing against her face and layered, bi-colored hair. She couldn't help but look down at the sidewalk in front of her, bemused amongst her thoughts. "You know," a voice beckoned, "if you stare at the road much longer, you might burn a hole through it." Scarlet shot her head up to see a redheaded Kurama standing before her with a tender smile to greet her with. "What has you troubled?"

Scarlet pushed some of her wild hair behind ear with a brief smile, still surprised to see the fox demon, as she rarely did. "O-Oh, hi, Kurama. I didn't know you were out and about." She stuttered a bit when she spoke, knowing of the other, darker form buried within the demon she didn't wish to provoke out. "H-How is Blossom?"

"She is doing okay," answered Kurama, as he looked over in the direction of his temple. His wild, red hair blowing about in his face, he took care in placing his hand to the side of his head to prevent it from blocking his view. "Nobody has caught on to who she really is, so that is all that matters."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Scarlet attempted to relax under the redhead's shadow. "So, what are you doing out here anyways? I don't think I've seen you out and about a lot lately; especially since you last had to take up the barrier." The demons would often take turns every 6 months or so to rotate who kept up the barrier, so the attacking, malicious demons couldn't put so much energy on bringing down one of them. It had been Kurama's turn that summer.

"I just thought I'd walk outside to get some fresh air," said Kurama as he pocked his hands into his jean pockets. "Being in a temple all day does get tiring." He shrugged, continuing his walk next to Scarlet. "How have things been with you? I hear you've been getting better."

"Yeah," said Scarlet as the two made their way down William's Road together. The chirping birds made her feel a bit more relaxed considering the company. "Jin has been making sure of that lately. I've gotten used to my schedule he has given me, so I go about studying, exercises, and counseling on my own now without him there to escort me."

Kurama nodded at her comments. "That's good; that's good. What about your dreams and all of that?" He inquired, as Jin often talked him to about these events. Jin was always curious about humans, and the wind demon knew Kurama had his fair share of being around them. "Are they any better?"

"I have a better control over when I project my spirit, as Jin calls it," explained Scarlet. "He's been having some of his higher priests and priestesses teach me how to have a better handle on things. I still get attacked here and there, but Jin is always there to make it better." Realizing how she said that last statement, Scarlet swallowed hard, hoping Kurama didn't catch onto that. When she heard him chuckle, she covered her face with her palm.

"No need to be embarrassed by your emotions," insisted the redhead as they continued about their walk. "I am sure, with all things considered, we're not going to find it odd. We have had our fair share of people fawning over us."

"I guess I don't like to seem desperate; especially if my feelings aren't going to be returned anytime soon." Having to think about such a thing made Scarlet's heart ache, though she tried to push it to the side. When Kurama merely nodded, she continued. "I don't know, maybe I should just look for something a bit more tangible."

"Whatever it is you decide, I am sure it will be for the best." Hearing the clock chime twelve, Kurama looked over at the town's clock with Scarlet with a smile. "I guess I should go on about the town. I have a few people to check up on before I head back to that stuffy temple." Here, he patted Scarlet on the back gently. "Good to see you. Take care of yourself, Scarlet Baker."

"You too, Kurama," whispered Scarlet this time. She watched as the fox demon headed off on his own at a slight jog before she bothered to head back into the woodland area where the Wind Temple was buried. Walking through the forest didn't seem as eerie and creepy as it usually felt in the winter. The trees were alive, and the sun always shined through the above canopy to light the lush ground. Seeing the temple doors, Scarlet resisted the urge to walk in right away. She just didn't feel like going back into a place where her emotions were going to override her again. "I can't do this!" She grumbled, plopping down on a nearby rock formation.

The front doors opening, Scarlet looked up to see some of the worshippers running out in their warmer attire with a few beach items in hand. Confused as to what was going on, Scarlet pushed herself up from where she was sitting to inch a bit closer to the nearest tree to watch the commotion. Resting against the bark of the tree, she didn't hear the rustling of the branches above her where Jin was hiding.

Hanging upside down, his wild hair all over the place from where he was behind Scarlet. "So, you're just going to stand there or what?" He asked with a cheesy grin to greet her with when she spun around by surprise.

"One of these days I am going to smack you for surprising me, and you'll deserve it!" Scarlet scolded, shaking her finger at him.

Jin jumped from the tree limb to land upon his feet with a grunt. "I told everyone to head to the beach for the afternoon. I figured with it so hot and with everyone working so hard, they all deserved a vacation." He leaned against the tree as well with a chuckle. "Care to join us?"

"I don't have a swim suit," Scarlet said, trying to think of a good excuse not to go. "I had no reason to buy one."

"Who says you have to swim to have a good time at the beach?" Jin wondered with a roll of his eyes. His hands upon Scarlet's shoulders, he pushed her further to the east of the town where the beach was located, regardless of her protests.

The beach was hardly accessible during the winter time, as Jin left the roads to it closed via the fog. It was a bit detached from the town and was quite the distance, but regardless, everyone stockpiled into cars and drove there with Jin resting on the top of one. Feeling the wind rustle his wild hair, he grinned widely before jumping off of the car he was upon to fly out to the beach with the others when the engines stopped.

Scarlet was the last to step out of the green, paint-peeled van Justin had in his possession. Seeing the beach waves crashing contently upon the shore brought a bit of wonder to the young woman, as she had never been to the beach before. She had seen it on TV but never in person. The sea breeze was almost instantly infectious, as she walked out onto the sand. "Wow, the waves are a beautiful sea-green color," she said mostly to herself.

"Never been to the beach before?" Jin asked with a raise of his brow, finding that a bit odd and curious.

"No, my mom and I never had a reason to. Besides, she always thought the roads were closed to anything outside of Wind Knoll." Scarlet watched as some of the worshippers put down beach towels and set up umbrellas to protect themselves against the hot sun. "I cannot say I exactly know how to swim either, so I don't think I'll look into going out there."

"I cannot say I swim much either." He waved Scarlet over towards one of the nearby towels one of the worshippers had put down, seeing as it wasn't occupied at the moment. "You might want to sit under the umbrella seeing as your skin is pretty pale. I wouldn't want you getting burned to death out here." Getting punched by the feisty blond, he hissed and rubbed the spot. "Ouch! I can tell you got your energy back!" Before he could retaliate further, someone came from behind the wind master to cover his eyes. Jin could tell by the size of them alone, they were from a little kid. He smiled and chuckled briefly. "Let me guess, Yusandra?"

The tiny hands pulled away from Jin's eyes with a bright, giggling smile. She was probably only five or six years old with tan skin and black hair. "How did you know?" Yusandra asked, hugging the wind demon about the neck.

"I have my ways," said Jin as he spared her the actual answer of spirits talking to him as well as the energy from her he could sense. Seeing as they were near a few of the greenery, Jin reached over to pluck a flower from those growing nearby to plant in the young girl's hair. Hearing the mother calling her, Jin looked up at the African American female before looking back at the daughter. "I think your mom is calling you," Jin stated with a wink.

Scarlet witnessed as the young girl skipped back to her mother quickly with her arms open to receive the woman's hug. "You seem to do well with kids," she noted, as the wind master turned back around to gaze over at the sea. "Have you ever thought of having any of your own someday?"

Jin waved away the thought with a light chuckle, "Neh. I don't have time to think on such things." He overlapped his arms behind his head to relax and enjoy the cool weather. "I am in no rush to settle for a family of my own just yet." Jin closed his eyes and let the breeze mess with his wild, red hair.

"I see," said Scarlet mostly to herself. She was hoping the somberness of her tone wasn't hinted, as she turned her focus back out at the ocean with him. "I am thinking maybe I should start looking for another job."

Hearing her say such a thing caused Jin to open one eye to gaze at her back mostly, as that was what was facing him at the time. "What brought this along?" He asked curiously, not moving from his position.

Scarlet didn't want to tell him her true reasons behind it all. She knew she just needed a distraction from her feelings about the wind master, as her heart couldn't take the mind games much anymore. "I don't know. I feel like I should be doing something instead of staying at the temples and studying all the time." Scarlet brought her knees to her chest to think on her decision a little bit, finding it more appealing every second. "I know my first job didn't exactly work out right, but I am sure I can find another one even without my college degree."

Jin sighed through his nostrils, closing his eyes once more. "You forget that I also have a say in the matter of such things considering your position and our union." His tone almost sounded possessive, catching Scarlet off guard and almost making her view the wind demon as a pig.

"That's a rather jerk like thing to say," Scarlet said straightforwardly. "Can I not be allowed to work wherever it is I please just so I can take my mind off of a few things?"

The demon couldn't help but growl angrily at her comment towards him. "Why would you want to work when you have enough to do as it is?" Here, he pushed himself up slightly from the towel to look Scarlet directly in the eyes. "A job is pointless at this moment. Why not just try to better yourself in your studies?"

"Maybe because that's all I do and maybe getting a bit of extra cash wouldn't hurt anyone!" Scarlet exclaimed, moving herself that moment from beside the wind master to go elsewhere amongst the beach. Her sandaled feet kicked about the sand as she made her way towards the ocean caves further down. A few of the coconut trees were growing abundantly there as well to give her a place to stay from the blazing sun. "Stubborn, irritating, possessive, annoying bastard!" She growled to herself, her hands turned into fists. Leaning against one of the trees nearby, she sighed heavily through her nostrils to try and let out her frustrations.

Rachael was nearby when she heard Scarlet's private mumbling. "Is Jin irritating you?" She asked from within the forested area right behind the young woman. When she saw Scarlet turn around startled, she stifled a laugh against her hand. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you or eavesdrop or anything."

"What are you doing out here anyways?" Scarlet wondered as she turned around the coconut tree she was leaning against.

"I am just picking a few flowers that only grow out here as well as getting a few coconuts and mushrooms," she explained, coming more into view with her straw basket, hanging about her arm. "I love flower arrangement by choice, and I also love to cook. I am lucky to get some of these things if at all unless Jin guides me here during the summer." She paused for a moment, looking about the canopy of the forest. "He, uh, he says he doesn't like to guide me out here often, because he likes my coconut pies to be special and not something done ever so often." Rachael dug into the basket to pull out the exotic flowers to Scarlet as well to let her marvel at the exotic designs. "He also likes when I decorate the temple in flowers. It says it reminds him of the outside world and its fresh breezes. So these mean a lot to him as the sea breeze relaxes him."

"Love how he always has to get his way," mumbled Scarlet though she knew the high priestess could hear her as well. When Rachael looked at her confused, Scarlet sighed and shook her head. "I wanted to get a job just to take my mind off of a few things, and he denied me that chance to go out and look. He basically wants me to sit at the temple and learn tirelessly under him."

"Maybe he has his reasons for not wanting you to go find another job," explained the priestess as she turned away to continue her scavenging. "Did you ever talk to him about all of this?"

Scarlet carefully followed behind Razz, hoping to not get bitten by anything that might be wandering about the lush, covered ground. "No, because why would I? All he's going to do is try to get his way when it comes to me."

"You don't know that," chuckled Rachael, as she turned around to peek over at the irritated Scarlet. "If you try talking to him, he might come up with a few valid points as to why he doesn't want you to." Hearing Jin calling for her at that moment, Scarlet sighed not wanting to face the wind demon again. Rachael, on the other hand, smiled tenderly at the dreadful Scarlet. "Maybe now might be a good time." With that said, she went deeper into the beachside forest to look some more.

Turning around, Scarlet saw Jin making his way towards the area she was sheltered within. She didn't bother calling out to the redhead, knowing he would find her eventually. "There you are," said Jin as he jogged into the shade. "What is wrong with you running off like that? You're so stubborn sometimes!"

"Hah!" Scarlet scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "You're a fine one to talk!"

Jin puffed out his cheek before sighing heavily with a shake of his head. "I just don't understand why you need a job when you have your hands full as it is." Reaching up, he pulled an apple from a nearby apple tree to toss about from hand to hand. "The last thing I need is for you to be overwhelmed."

"Jin, please," Scarlet practically begged this time. "I just need a place to go at the very least to try and clear my mind." When he didn't respond right away, she turned away from him with her hands in her hair. "I just…need an escape from that temple every now and then." When he threatened to speak, she turned around with her finger pointing at him accusingly. "And don't say that the exercising, attending my classes with Touya, and my appointments with Donavon count!"

Rolling his eyes at her comment, Jin kept his mouth occupied by biting into the fresh apple in his hands. "Sounds to me like you want to move out of my temple almost," he said with his mouth slightly full. "Are you getting bored with me?"

_Quite the opposite_, thought Scarlet with her heart feeling like it had a thousand pounds tied to it. "I just need my space to think is all, and my room isn't exactly cutting it." With the pain on her heart, she paused for a second feeling she might cry any minute. Covering her mouth to hide her quivering lips, Scarlet found herself unable to hide it much longer.

The whimpering catching his ears, Jin looked around before heading over to Scarlet. He tossed the apple he had finished on the ground, reaching his arms out to embrace the girl tenderly. "Am I doing something wrong?" He asked curiously, keeping her close to his chest. "I just want you and everyone else to be happy."

"Why do I have to be lumped in with everyone else?" Scarlet asked through her tears, keeping her cheek against his bare chest.

Jin could slightly see why Scarlet needed her space upon hearing her say such a thing to him. He buried his lips into her wild, bi-colored tresses to kiss her there. "I'll help you look for a job come tomorrow," he practically whispered in her hair. "But the job accepted has to be within my say as to what I feel you deserve."

Scarlet didn't have it in her to complain this round. She merely closed her eyes to enjoy the closeness with the wind demon.


	34. Chapter 34

_**Author's Notes:**_ Sorry for the delay. I was really into the mood to finished My Naga Knight, but then my main computer crashed via either motherboard or power supply. Naturally, when this happened, I was freaking out hardcore as 9 years of my life is on my main computer, and I don't really have backup. =/ Thankfully, none of my data is said to be in harms way through this, but after this incident, I plan on backing up. I cannot afford to lose anything!

So, anyways, Wind Knoll's Curse will be on a slight hiatus while I get that story finished. Enjoy this chapter in the mean time! Sex scene removed from this chapter.

* * *

With the moon soon high within the sky, everyone was soon back at their homes. The Wind Temple was winding down as well with all the worshippers finding their respective rooms. Some of the lit candles would go out one by one in the hallways as some of the high priests and priestesses passed by to wave their hands simply to help the flames die down by magical means. Scarlet was in her room when she heard some of the people passing by her door, talking quietly amongst themselves. She listened in on some of the random conversations, but none of them really gave her much interest. Seeing as she was asked by Touya to finish the book she was given, Scarlet was trying to focus her attention on it.

"So much crap," Scarlet grumbled to herself. She was resting on her bed upon her front, kicking her legs idly about. "How anyone can become a high priestess is beyond me." She nibbled upon the end of her pen she was using to take notes of anything of importance. A knock upon her door breaking her concentration, Scarlet turned her focus with a raise of her brow. "Come in."

The door creaking open, Justin soon stood there with the small bit of candlelight illuminating the bedroom area touching upon some of his features as well. "Just walking by to see if you're okay." When he didn't hear Scarlet say anything, though he could tell she was awkwardly staring at him, so Justin elaborated. "Jin has been making sure we check all the other worshippers just in case a demon sneaks in."

"That's nice," whispered Scarlet with an obvious sigh. She turned the page she was on with her mind now wondering at the mere mention of Jin's name.

Justin moved from where he was at the doorway to invite himself on inside. He knew Scarlet wouldn't mind. Making his way through the candlelit room, he sat on her bedside. "You know, if you want to talk about something, I can at least listen," Justin offered, as he slightly leaned over to get his words to the studying Scarlet.

"Not much to talk about," Scarlet admitted with a heavy sigh. "Just feelings I have to work out and sort out alone, I suppose." Finding herself unable to concentrate on the material in front of her, she closed the book and pushed it off to the side. "I am in love with someone unobtainable, and I need to change that."

Having the thoughts connect, Justin closed his eyes with a bit of a smile to himself in the dimly lit room. "Well, if you wait it out, you never know what may happen. Or you can go to the man you're in love with and talk to him about it."

"Tried that," Scarlet said softly between them. "All I can do is wait it out as he doesn't wish to talk to me about what feelings he has right now." She gazed ahead at nothing in particular, thinking back on the times she spent with the wind demon. "I hope to find a job I can attend to take my mind off of a few things."

"I still think talking about it may help. You never know what may come about it." Justin then pushed himself up from the bedside to make his way back towards the doorway. "Just be careful tonight. Demons tend to enjoy lurking in the shadows." He paused, sensing the powerful field about her door. "I see you are already in a protective barrier." Feeling an icy breeze upon the invisible magic, Justin pulled his fingertips back to rub them together. "Lord Touya placed this here."

Scarlet had forgotten about it, but she nodded recalling the time Touya placed it there to keep her safe. "Yes, he did sometime ago."

Justin stayed on the opposite side of the doorway with a dimly lit smile upon his face. He nodded at the young woman. "Just think about it. But whatever it is you decide, best of luck to you." He motioned towards himself with his fingers, causing a slight breeze to blow within the room, causing the door to slowly shut behind him.

She was a bit mystified by that action, as she had never seen it performed before except maybe by Jin here and there. Sighing heavily to herself, Scarlet moved to her feet to slowly walk towards the center of the room where the pillar was as well as the stand holding several candles, which had been lit for the night to keep light in her room. The flames flickered about, causing the shadows to dance briefly within her chambers. With all going quiet, Scarlet began to feel a slowly growing fear within her heart. "Maybe I should speak to him…"

Opening the door to her room cautiously, she peeked up and down the dark corridors still lit by the scones on the wall. With everything slowly dying around for the night, Scarlet was a bit nervous to make her way to Jin's room, but she eventually found the courage to do so, and headed on her way.

With Jin's door soon within view, she hesitantly knocked upon it, hoping for an answer. "Hello? Jin, are you there?" Nothing came from the other side, making her curious as to where the demon could possibly be. Just to make sure he wasn't sleeping, Scarlet opened the door slowly. "Jin, are you here?" She could clearly see that the demon was indeed asleep in his bed. Coming closer, she saw that the wind master was just passed out on his bed with his covers everywhere. "He must have been tired to fall asleep without covering himself up for the night."

Jin was obviously fast asleep, given the snoring he was doing. He didn't hear Scarlet come in, prompting him to remain in his slumber. When the young woman came closer, she could see he was twitching slightly and sweating as well from something. Reaching over, she placed her hand upon the wind master's forehead to feel that he was burning up. Worried for his well-being, Scarlet knelt beside the bed to shake him harshly. "Jin! Jin, wake up!" She called nervously.

Being called back to himself, the demon's eyes flew open, shooting up in bed with sweat all over his body. He was panting heavily, eyes wide and his mouth gaping open. His hand upon his forehead, Jin tried to regain himself. Blue eyes of worry met with Scarlet's in the dim lighting of his room. "Scarlet…? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to speak with you, but I came in with you this way." She remained on her knees beside his bed. Her arms crossed over the tossed about covers. "Are you alright?"

Jin rubbed his face, nodding at her question. "I was just being attacked in my sleep is all. I thought I could hold them off, but they just kept coming after me. It was wearing me out." He moved slightly over in the bed and patted the empty space he gave for Scarlet to sit upon. "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Scarlet could tell that this wasn't the best time for what was on her mind. She merely swallowed her words upon sitting next to him. "It isn't anything too important. Besides, I can see you are quite tired."

Grabbing onto the rim of his shirt, Jin removed it from his body in the candlelight. He shook his wild red hair about to prevent some of the strands from sticking to his wet body. "Yes, and sweaty, apparently. I didn't expect them to get me that warn out. I must be getting weak." He chuckled at the statement, as he excused himself from the bed momentarily to toss his shirt upon the chair in his room. "I might have to bathe before I think of sleeping again."

Sighing at her weakness to him, Scarlet raised her hand slightly. "I can help you if need be."

"If you want to," said Jin calmly, as if what happened earlier wasn't that much of a bother to him. "You're going to have to see me nude if you don't mind that." Grabbing a towel from one of his drawers, he motioned towards the door. "This way."

Scarlet followed behind Jin in the darkened hallways all the way to the Cleansing Room. The doors opened, the room looked rather dim with the lights lit up within the pool area only. With the water so disturbingly calm, Scarlet was hypnotized by the mere look of it. She inched closer to the side of the pool while Jin lit up the rest of the room. "I am not used to it at this time of night," Scarlet explained as she touched the tranquil surface to disturb the water. "I am used to almost everyone possible being in here for something."

"This is the place to be at times. It is almost like a hangout." Jin removed his belt, allowing his pants to loosen. "But once the sun goes down, everyone disappears. Makes it easier for me to bathe in here sometimes." With himself unclothed, he made his way into the water slowly to get used to the chill. Dunking his head under the water for a brief moment, he threw his wet hair back with a relaxing sigh, as he rested against the edge of the pool. "So much better."

Making her way over towards the wind master, she sat upon the edge beside him to make sure he at least got the water over his body. "I rarely come in here unless it is urgent. It just feels too weird seeing everyone either naked or half naked." She dug her fingers gently about his scalp to make sure to relax him and get the water to wash out anything in his hair.

Jin chuckled briefly at her comment, looking up at her out of the corner of his eye. "You got used to me. I am sure you can get used to other people being the same way." Closing his eyes once more, he rolled his head back into her touch with a relaxing moan. "So, what was it you were about to tell me? I don't mind listening."

Scarlet halted in her actions, thinking on her emotions dwelling within her heart and mind. "It is nothing too important, Jin." Her words were heavy with something, and she knew she wasn't doing a good job in hiding her desire to want to speak about it. "But, umm, I guess since you're here, I might as well ask about the job situation."

"I know that's not what you want to talk about, but as far as that goes, I will help you look for some come tomorrow. I told you that," responded Jin. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Is all that knowledge you're having to cram finally getting to you?" He knew she was reading a good deal into being a high priestess for Touya, but he figured he would just pick on her a bit.

"No," grumbled Scarlet, not finding any of it funny. "I just thought I'd make sure you didn't forget." Here, she flicked Jin against the head, causing the wind demon to flinch for a second. "I guess if you're done, I'll head back to my bedroom." Just as she was about to get to her feet, Jin's hand reached for her wrist to prevent her from leaving his side.

"Scarlet, I am a little drained from the encounter earlier," he expressed without looking her directly into the eyes. "I may need you for the time being."

Scarlet felt her heart leap. She wanted to accept that offer, but a part of her refrained from the thought. "I…Jin…it is very hard to accept that right now."

"Why do you say that?" Jin asked, continuing to look right on ahead at nothing in particular. He had a feeling he knew what was going on with her, and the wind master felt like prying in his own way. "Do you not want to be my servant any longer?"

"No…no, I never said that!" Scarlet insisted eagerly, sitting back down on the side near Jin, so she could speak with him better. She felt him release her wrist, allowing her to embrace herself a bit in a comforting way. "It is just my feelings for you are really hard to deal with right now, and I am sorry that I feel this way. I wish I could make it all disappear, but I cannot." Having to admit it out in the open was painful. Shaking her head from side to side, she attempted to shake the desire to cry.

"Scarlet," Jin sighed, "you remember what I said to you last time, right?" He turned around to look into Scarlet's sorrow filled orbs of greenish-gray. "I just cannot say that I feel that way towards you right now. But, regardless, you are special to me." Placing his hands on the ground on either side of her body, he hefted himself up and out of the water.

With him practically hovering over her on his hands and knees, Scarlet knew she had nowhere to go to. She also knew what he wanted, but she tried her best not to act on her desires. When she attempted to move out from under him, Jin was quick to place his hand upon her shoulder to keep her steady. "I wish you wouldn't do this…" she practically begged, breathlessly with his hands grabbing onto her nightshirt—it was the only thing she was wearing at the moment. It was a very long, white shirt, which reached down to her knees. Jin gave it to her one night when she had run out in the middle of a storm and nearly came home ill from the cold rain soaking her through.

Jin cupped the side of her head upon removing the shirt he had given to her. "Scarlet, like there are times you need me, this is a time I need you." His fingertips moved gently down her side, so he could cup her left leg to move her body in a position he desired. "I am too weak, and I need you right now." With that said, he opened his mouth to show off his demonic fangs before bringing them closer to pierce her neck gently in attempts to rouse her.

The feel of his teeth against her skin, Scarlet hitched in breath and her body tensed before relaxing under the sexual high it gave her. Her eyes wide momentarily, she closed them with a soft moan escaping her lips. "Jin…!"

Kissing his way down to her chest and then to her stomach, he smiled at the feel of her soft skin. "I must say I am glad I got you back into a healthier lifestyle. It is nice not having to worry about breaking you," he chuckled to himself, looking up at her from where his cheek was resting against her stomach. When she threatened to smack him for his comment, Jin was quick to react and stop her hand from touching him. "Save your energy at least for me," he whispered, moving down to kiss her inner thigh.

(**Edited**)

Scarlet felt incredibly drained from the wind master soaking up her spirit energy. "Do you feel any better?" She asked wearily, closing her eyes.

"I do." He smiled, watching her act so exhausted under his previous ministrations. Moving his hand to the opposite side of her, he helped the young woman closer to him. "I thought you would be able to still have energy to spare for yourself. Are you just tired?" Jin seemed to pause for a moment to gaze over his shoulder with a serious expression unnoticed by the young woman. He could hear and feel something slinking around the room, and it was making Jin very nervous.

Scarlet rubbed her eyes, sitting upright next to the wind master. "Yeah, it has been a long day, and I am sure I am just tired." Knowing she couldn't go to bed in such a mess, she made her way towards the water slowly. "I might as well get cleaned up with you."

Seeing the water starting to bubble, Jin panicked as Scarlet was about to put her foot into the liquid. "Scarlet, **NO**!" He yelled, grabbing onto her shoulders to pull her away from the water's now boiling surface. With her falling on top of him, he held her close underneath him before looking angrily over his shoulder at the evil laughter he could hear bounding about the walls. "Something is here." Growling angrily, he watched as the water began to toss about. "Show yourself!" Jin demanded.

The wicked laughter could be heard by Scarlet now. She watched in horror as the water twisted about, gradually sprouting up to form a female looking body. "Quite alert now, aren't you, handsome?" She spoke teasingly with evilness to her words.

"A water demon spirit…" The demon mumbled mostly to himself as well as to Scarlet. "What do you want? Get out of my temple, now!" Jin ordered with a wave of his hand.

The female water demon shook her finger at the wind master. "Such traitors all of you are! You cater to the weak, lesser beings while destroying your fellow demons. Maybe if we take a few, we can break you of this habit!" Her voice becoming aggressive, the water demon moved her arms to cause the liquid her body was coming from to splash about and threaten to overwhelm them both.

Jin knew the surface was boiling from the anger of the demon spirit. Seeing the unclothed Scarlet behind him, he knew that the temperature of the water would burn her alive. When the young woman screamed at the oncoming attack, Jin spun around and brought up his wind barrier in time to prevent the water from touching either one of them. "You will not harm anyone here!" Jin yelled angrily, keeping his right hand up to control the wind currents at his command.

"So protective, you are," smirked the attacking demon. "Let's see how you fair against **THIS**!" Bringing her hands upwards, she twisted the water about into a giant ball above her head. Cackling manically, the demonic sprite threw the liquid ball towards the two victims of her choice.

The wind barrier he had up earlier was now down, making Jin unsure how he would react in time to this oncoming attack. Turning around, he quickly wrapped his arms around the frightened Scarlet, his eyes closed tightly to get ready for the scolding water to burn his body. Scarlet witnessing him about to take the full brunt of the attack, she couldn't help but scream. "No! Don't!"

The doors flew open at that moment, causing the ice master to barge through and freeze the water inches from Jin's back. "Be gone, you pest!" He hissed angrily, shooting another icy, cold blast at the water demon.

Scarlet watched over Jin's shoulder as the creature was turned into an ice sculpture right before her eyes. The demon screaming a furious scream before her face was turned completely into ice. She witnessed as Touya motioned a bit with his fingers close to his face. Bending his left hand down, he placed his right palm to the opposite wrist, positioning the middle and index finger upwards with the thumb before his nose.

"Olké mékná!" He growled in demonic, before sending a burst of his energy to the crystallized demon to completely demolish it. With the demon destroyed, Touya looked over at Scarlet and Jin. "Are you both okay?" He reached his hand out to both of them to help them to their feet.

"How did you know to come and save us?" Scarlet wondered as she got to her shaken feet with Jin.

Touya tapped his head with his index finger. "Because of your connection to me since birth, I have a general idea of how you are doing." He smiled before turning to Jin. "Besides, Jin has a link to me as well mentally. I could hear him calling out to help, and I happened to be in the area checking on a worshipper of mine who is slowly on her way to the afterlife."

Realizing she was still without clothes, Scarlet couldn't help but turn a bright red and turn away. _I forgot! _She panicked within her mind, feeling she might just faint from embarrassment.

Jin rolled his eyes at how easily freaked she got whenever someone saw her naked. Taking the towel he had for himself, he wrapped it around Scarlet's body so she would feel more comfortable. "Better?" He asked with a chuckle. "Don't know why you get so easily uncomfortable with someone seeing you naked."

Scarlet looked angrily at Jin, finding that question rather ridiculous within itself. "Maybe because some of us have boundaries!" She scolded, annoyance clinging to her every word. Sighing through her nostrils, Scarlet released the irritation in her mannerisms. "Still, you didn't have to do what you did back there, Jin."

"Why do you say that?" Jin asked, his elfin ears twitching slightly. "You mean a good deal to me, as does anyone else here. I could never allow a demon to attack them." He smiled tenderly at Scarlet. "It is like watching one of your children get eaten alive right before your very eyes. After awhile, seeing such a thing became too much to bear. I've seen it enough."

Touya agreed silently with the sentiment, tapping his chin with his curled index finger while rocking slightly on the balls of his feet. "With that statement said, I do believe it is best you get back to bed." He reached for Scarlet's hand once more. "Come," he beckoned in the darkness.

Scarlet nervously reached out to accept the demon's hand. She was still shaken from the event. Feeling his icy touch was almost inviting to her. "What about Jin? I don't want him to be here by himself." She was worried the demon would exert more of his energy and become further weakened.

Hearing her concerns, Jin chuckled within his throat. "I will be fine, Scarlet. Your energy helped a great deal." He could still see the worry within her green-gray eyes. "I promise. When have I ever lied to you?" Jin smirked, bowing slightly to the two. "I will be in my room shortly. Watch over her for me, Touya. I won't be long."

Touya helped Scarlet slowly out of the Cleansing Room while she was wrapped up in her towel. On their way through the quiet halls, he couldn't find much to say about what happened. He knew that assuring her everything was going to be okay was a bit pointless, as he himself wasn't sure what the outcome of Wind Knoll would be. Her door soon within sight, he ushered her inside to make sure she was at least out of harm's way. "There you go," he whispered between them, shutting the door behind them both. "You'll be safe here."

Scarlet knew she had to put something on to sleep in, but with Touya in the room, it was an uncomfortable thought of even removing the towel. She looked at the ice master, as if to give him a subtle hint. When he nodded at her, Touya turned around to look back at the door with his hands behind his back. "Glad you get things better then Jin sometimes," she admitted, removing the towel to put on a nightgown she owned. "So what was it you said in that language?"

"What language?" Touya asked with his head tilted slightly. "_**Oh**_, you mean what I said in demonic? What I said to her was 'be gone, damned fairy.'"

"Hard to believe demons have their own language. I thought everyone was once essentially human or something along those lines," Scarlet said as she got herself clothed. "Okay, you may turn around." She stood in a gown, which reached down to her ankles. It was an old, off-white gown her grandmother had made.

Touya spun slightly on his heels to watch her make it to the bed. The red flames in the room outlined his serious expression rather well in the dark. "Most of us once were, but you forget, even demons can be created from something not physical such as emotions by humans." He made his way over towards her bedside to join her. "Besides, each human speaks another language entirely. Like, I am Japanese and Jin was once in the Irish lands, so when we were damned, a whole new language is learned in case there is ever a barrier of nations from past lives. We rarely speak it, as it causes confusion to the humans we watch over. Sometimes we just learn a whole knew language from one another."

"From what I have heard, sounds like you always talk like kék, kék, kék," she lightly joked though was being serious through her observation.

Throwing his head back, Touya laughed loudly. Never had he found a reason to laugh so hard before, but he found her comment to be rather funny. "Yes, we do tend to have a majority of our words starting or sounding like we say ké a good deal, and we do stress our 'E' a lot as well as a few other words, but I promise that isn't entirely our language." He was quiet for a mere moment. "Kéba olsé médké."

The foreign language being thrown at her, Scarlet blinked a few times, confused seeing as it came out of nowhere. "I am sorry, but I thought I made it clear that I didn't understand your demonic language when I asked what I did earlier," she said with a slight chuckle.

Touya chuckled in the back of his throat, winking at Scarlet. "I said: 'It is still fun to talk in' basically. Demonic isn't exactly something learnable. It is a very tricky tongue to speak in, and unwise to do so all the same by humans." He slid off of Scarlet's bed for a moment to make sure she was comfortable for the oncoming night's rest. "If a human ever were to learn that language, may the Gods have mercy on them. It is a language of the damned, and not one to be taken lightly as it beckons other creatures in the dark sometimes." Grabbing the covers, he brought them up to Scarlet's chest. "It is wise you rest now after your previous ordeal. To my understanding, you have a busy day ahead, so I wish you luck."

Scarlet merely nodded, watching in the candlelight as the ice master made it over to her center candleholder—her main light source. "I've been aiming to find a job that I can work at." She watched as the ice master raised his hand to wave out one of the candle flames.

Hearing her say that, Touya merely shifted his eyes slightly over his right shoulder where Scarlet was resting. "Really now? Do you think that wise with everything you are currently doing, my dear?" He watched attentively as some of the flames danced about, prompting him to slowly wave his hand over another to blow it out.

"I am sure I will manage," Scarlet insisted. "I have my energy back, and my schedule is set to a way I like it." Pulling the covers up closer to her neck, Scarlet rolled over in bed to get settled for the night. "Besides, I need to take my mind off of a few things."

Touya shifted his eyes about, thinking on what could possibly be bothering Scarlet. His mind coming upon the ceremony Jin did with her and the feelings he could easily tell she had for him now, Touya's serious frown turned into a tender smile as he closed his eyes to shake his head. "He is a very simple person, Scarlet," Touya began, as if it were nothing. "But I would bet with a bit of time, he'll come around."

Scarlet scoffed, "Jin is a very simple person…!" Realizing she gave away whom she was pondering on, she widened her eyes and covered her red face. "You weren't supposed to hear that…"

He covered his soft laughter behind his hand, turning to face Scarlet once more. With the candles lit at the entryway to her room now, it was harder for her to even see him. "I don't think anyone is blind to the feelings you have for him. You don't hide them very well whenever his name is mentioned." Touya sat back down at her bedside, to let her know he was listening.

"But my feelings for him aren't natural…they could prove dangerous—."

"They are not dangerous," Touya interjected quickly and rather seriously. "Do you honestly think that even us demons don't have someone we hold dear to our hearts?" He felt his own dead heart flutter at the mere thought of the women who he held dear. "Many demons don't speak about the women and or men they hold close to them, because it makes everyone else feel inferior. After Jin's servants all died under the attack on his temple many years ago, he closed himself up to the thought of ever giving his feelings to someone else. He loved them all a great deal, as I am sure he has probably told you."

Scarlet moved over onto her back to look at Touya's dark outline she could slightly see. "Yes, he has spoken about them a lot to me. He told me they were all like his wives."

"That is why you mean so much to him," the ice master went on to explain. "He may not express it right away, but that is because he doesn't want to open himself up to that kind of pain again." He could tell Scarlet was flustered and unsure of how to handle the situation. Here he reached over and placed his hand upon her forehead. "But I understand your desire to want to take your mind off of it all. Get some rest. You will feel better." Touya removed himself from the bedcovers. As he was about to head for the door, he felt Scarlet grab his wrist. "What is it?"

"Can you just…stay here for a bit while I try to fall asleep?" Asked Scarlet hesitantly. She was a bit embarrassed to ask such a thing, but she couldn't find the ability to unwind after such an attack earlier.

Touya smiled in the darkness, turning back around to kneel down beside her bed. His icy cold touch found her hand. With his fingers interlaced with Scarlet's, he rested his cheek upon his arm he had upon the bed. "If you need me, I will be right here." Even though he himself was tired, he tried not to allow himself to go to sleep before the frightened human. Touya remained awake and beside her well into the night as the candles in Scarlet's room began to slowly die down around him.

* * *

_**Author's Notes**_: Hur…it was my motherboard, but thankfully, my data is okay. I backed up my important files I cannot go on without. Lesson learned from that.


	35. Chapter 35

Scarlet went job-hunting with Jin the next day early in the morning. She had a few places in mind to try applying for, and she wasn't going to stop till she got a 'yes' from somewhere instead of 'we're not hiring right now'. Plopping down on one of the nearby benches, she sighed heavily while rolling her head back to look up at the cloudy sky. "This is hopeless," Scarlet grumbled. The feel of the wind blowing about her, she opened one eye to spy Jin joining her. "Can't you read people's minds?"

"Why do you ask?" The wind master asked with a light chuckle, as he leaned against the wooden bench.

She eyed the demon with annoyance at his attitude. "Couldn't you tell me if some people are even considering hiring?"

"I cannot read the minds of others," said Jin, as he gazed over at the exhausted Scarlet. "I can send my mind vibrations out to others if they are open to it, but I cannot read people's minds; especially people who are not my worshippers." He felt the young woman smack him with her reading material she brought with her. "Jeez, lassie! What was that for!" Jin exclaimed, even though it merely tickled his demonic skin.

"You can be so worthless!" Scarlet lightly teased through her frustration, smacking him a few more times with her book. Getting to her feet once more, she walked down the sidewalk she was upon. "Ugh, there's got to be something around here. Why don't people use help wanted signs anymore?"

"I thought that was why you humans invented the Internet?" Jin suggested aloud, as he traveled behind Scarlet carefully.

Scarlet huffed at Jin's suggestion, as she turned down the upcoming street marked as Planters Road. "You don't allow such things in your temple—none of them do. Besides, I haven't had the Internet in a few years now." It was a common fact that computers and a majority of electronics were stripped from the temples and even the town itself. Cell phones could be brought into the temples, but they either never worked or overloaded and were destroyed given the spiritual energies accumulated within the temple boundaries.

"There are local coffee shops that allow Internet access," Jin explained, as he took to the air momentarily to hover over Scarlet. "Besides, you know why we cannot allow electronic things in our temples." He bent over Scarlet to look the young woman in the eyes. "Spirits can overload such things and cause a fire if they explode. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

She could feel his knees just inches from her shoulders, causing Scarlet to push the wind master away from her. "Yeah, yeah, I am aware." Continuing down the block, she eventually stopped at one of the nearby bookstores. She looked at the many collections of books lining the display windows before looking over at Jin, who was quick to show he wasn't too eager to look at the place. "I know you don't like books, but I do. This might be a good place to try."

"Want me to see if I can collect anything on my telepathic radar?" Jin asked jokingly, placing his index and middle fingers against the side of his forehead.

Scarlet shook her head at the wind demon before making her way inside. "You are impossible." Making it inside of the building, she saw many shelves covered in different books. There were rows upon rows of literature, making Scarlet wanting to eye her favorite sections, just to see if anything interesting was there. "We hardly get any good books in Wind Knoll," she felt the need to point out, as she hurried to the fantasy section. "Being so cut off from the world, you're lucky to find anything good." Scarlet went from book to book just to eye the front and back to see if anything would catch her eye.

"It is because of the fog." Jin walked behind Scarlet, picking a few books off of the shelf himself only to put them back. "The written word bores me," he admitted between them. "Why write about an adventure when you can go out into the world to make your own come true?"

"You're talking about the impossible when it comes to the isolation of this town," Scarlet mentioned with a roll of her eyes, putting the book in her hands back where it previously was. "If we weren't so shut off from the world, maybe there would be more we could do." As she was reaching the end of the row she was looking through, she saw one of the workers of the bookstore stumble upon her, as he happened to be passing by.

"Hello there," said the young boy, as he made his way towards Scarlet. He had long, stringy hair, which reached his upper back and colored white. There was a noticeable lip ring on the left side of his lip. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Scarlet caught the boy's brown eyes through his bangs, which almost covered his face. "Yes, hi, I was wondering if you guys were hiring here," she asked best she could. "I've been traveling around all day to try and find an opening position." Her eyes wandered over his nametag to see his name was Andy.

"That is a good question," said Andy, as he thought about a good answer he could give her. He paused in his actions with his eyes gazing over Scarlet's shoulder to spy the redheaded demon behind her. Upon seeing Jin, he acted like he didn't want to admit he could see the creature. "I am sure I could ask one of our managers."

Noticing he was acting odd, Scarlet looked over her shoulder at Jin before eyeing Andy again. "Do you see something, sir?"

Jin didn't say anything to Scarlet or Andy. He kept his focus on the young male worker, however. The wind master noted that the way Andy was acting was the way most humans acted when they could see the demons, but they didn't want to admit it. _You can see me, can't you?_ He asked the boy telepathically.

Andy shook his head before coming to the world around him. "No!" He yelled between them before straightening himself up. "No, it is-it is nothing. Umm, anyways, come this way." He moved out of the row he was within to make it back towards the checkout area. "I can give you an application, if anything. Something should open up, as it always does."

Scarlet looked over her shoulder at Jin with a slight shrug as to what was going on. "You appear quite jumpy. Are you alright?" She asked, noticing his actions behind the counter just to pull an application for her to fill out.

"This world—it just does things to you," Andy insisted quietly between them, as he handed over the application to Scarlet before putting the others away. When Scarlet accepted the slip of paper, he noticed the designs on her hands. "You worship the Wind and Ice Lords."

She bunched her hands into fists in attempts to hide the symbols on her hands. "Yeah, I do," Scarlet practically whispered. "What about yourself?"

"My mother's side mostly worships the Fire Lord," Andy answered, as he made his way carefully back out from behind the counter. He wanted to pretend that Jin wasn't there, but he could see the demon, and the sight of him frightened the young man. "My father's side worships the Earth Lord, but I wasn't baptized under anybody. I don't want to be sucked into this hellish world, and that is why I refuse to be baptized under anyone."

Jin narrowed his eyes to gather the energy he could pick up on Andy. "I know you can see me," he almost spoke teasingly to the human. The redhead watched as Andy stopped in his tracks momentarily. "You cannot ignore what is there, human. I know Touya has come to you to baptize you himself."

Andy looked over his shoulder at Jin only to remain silent before heading onwards to continue his job.

Scarlet smacked Jin on the nearest arm. "What is wrong with you? Don't tease someone like that!" Rolling her eyes, she made her way out of the bookstore, so she could head back to the temple for the day.

Jin took to the wind and hurried after Scarlet to make sure she was alright. "No need to be in such a rush," he insisted, as he floated beside her. "I was just telling him that there is no way to escape where he is. Besides, if Touya is trying to claim him, he should listen!"

"Maybe some people want to be a bit ignorant to this world a bit longer," Scarlet hissed angrily at the wind master. "I cannot say I blame them." Thinking back on the day she called to the wind master and opened herself up to the world, she couldn't help but sigh heavily. "I know the moment I opened myself up to this world, I most times regret it!" With that knowledge spared, Scarlet continued on her way back to the Wind Temple.

Back at the temple, that night, Scarlet worked on filling out the applications, she had acquired, in the candlelit room. She could hear some of her roommates chatting just outside of her bedroom door as she did so. Feeling something shake her bedroom, Scarlet looked upwards towards the ceiling, where she felt it was coming from. She knew there were rooms above her, but she never knew her neighbors would cause her bedroom to shake. Sighing to herself at having to witness her broken ceiling chandler quiver from the impact upstairs, Scarlet went back to focusing on her applications she still had to finish before bed.

Hearing the heavy thump against the ceiling once more, Scarlet put down her pen with an annoyed sigh. "Guys!" She yelled, hoping that they would hear her. "Would you stop that!" When she still heard something rumbling upstairs, Scarlet tossed aside what she was working on to make her way to the upstairs rooms.

Marching up the stairs, she made it to the room she knew was directly above hers. She could hear some female obviously laughing on the opposite side of the room making her grumble, as she knocked on the door. "Hello?" Scarlet called. "Can you please keep it down! I am trying to do some things downstairs." While she was waiting for an answer, Scarlet couldn't help but feel a bit unsettled from where she was standing. A hand reaching out to her in the darkness grabbed onto her shoulder, causing the young woman to jump around with a startled scream before seeing whom it was. "God, Rachel!" Scarlet gasped, grabbing onto her rapidly beating heart. "You scared the shit out of me."

"My apologizes," said the high priestess, as she withdrew her hand. "What are you doing up here? You know it is curfew time." The priestess crossed her arms over her chest, curious to hear an explanation.

Scarlet looked at Rachel through the dim candlelight that lit the hallway. "I am sorry, but I was trying to fill out applications and whoever lives here was doing something to the point that my ceiling was shaking." She witnessed in the dim lighting how Razz's expression went from confused to shock. "What is it?"

Rachel shook her head at Scarlet's words. "That's impossible," she insisted, using her key to unlock the door. She allowed Scarlet to see into the empty bedroom. "Nobody is in here."

Looking into the empty room, Scarlet shook her head. "No, no that cannot be true!" She turned to Rachel, pointing down at the floor. "This is the room that is above mine, right?" Scarlet headed on into the bedroom regardless of what was said by Rachel. She couldn't believe that the room was empty.

"Yes, I would say judging by the temple's floor plans, which I have studied, this one would be above yours," explained Rachel. It was within every high priest and priestess to know the temple by heart in case of an emergency. "But whatever it was you heard or saw, it obviously isn't here now."

Scarlet walked further into the room to look at some of the pictures and webbed candles. The pictures were black and white, but a majority of them had the faces either etched out or removed. As she picked up one of the pictures, a harsh wind blew within the room causing the door to shut behind her. "Rachel!" Scarlet screamed, running towards the door upon dropping the picture. "Rachel, are you there!" She exclaimed frantically, banging on the door in the dark room.

"Yes, I am here!" Rachel responded back during her futile attempts to open the door. "The door won't open! The key won't even open it!" Hearing someone coming towards her, Rachel beckoned to the worshipper. "Go get the Wind Lord, quickly!"

"Get me out of here!" Scarlet yelled, continuing to bang on the door. She stopped upon noticing that the red candles in the room were lighting one by one by some means. Everything in the room was coming to light in red. Slowly, Scarlet turned around to see, what she believed to be, an Asian woman in a white kimono sitting near the table, which held all of those photos. She had long, black hair from what Scarlet could make out. "H-Hello…? Who are you?"

The Asian woman stopped whatever it was she was doing and slowly turned around. Her eyes were white and void of life while blood marred the front of her kimono and part of her face. Slowly the woman got to her feet with a childlike, creepy giggle. In her hand, she held a very old, handmade doll. "Want to play?" She asked with a sick grin, slowly heading towards Scarlet.

Scarlet felt her back hit the door behind her. "Get away from me!" She demanded fearfully. Her heart nearly dropped when she saw the Asian female rushing at her with a loud scream. "Get away from me!" Scarlet yelled once more, closing her eyes. The door flying open at that moment, Scarlet fell backwards into Andrea's arms. She watched as Jin stood there ready to attack the female ghost only to see everything return to normal as soon as she laid eyes back on the room. "What the hell was that!"

Jin relaxed himself with an annoyed sigh. "She's not going to do anything else," he said to Rachel, allowing the woman to lock the door again. "Just make sure she doesn't get out."

"What are you talking about?" Scarlet demanded to know, holding onto the female she knew to an extent. "What is going on!" Her voice was almost raised to a scream.

"I am sorry," Jin apologized, as he helped Scarlet to her feet. "I need you to come with me." He was quick to make sure that Scarlet got away from the bedroom quickly and back down to her own without being attacked by anything again. Jin situated Scarlet back down in her bedroom before closing and locking the door behind him. Tossing the covers about her shaken body, he guided her down to the bed. "Just relax for a bit. You'll be okay."

"What was that? _**Who**_ was that?" Scarlet demanded to know, as she sat upright in bed, refusing to lie down and forget it right away. "I have never known that one room to be haunted when I've been living under it for a year or so now!"

"I don't think you want to know about her," Jin insisted, running his fingers through his wild hair. "It is a very old story that dates back many years ago."

Scarlet banged her fist upon the mattress beneath her. "Jin, tell me!" She couldn't get the image of that woman out of her head, and she wanted to know why that woman was like that.

"Well, like I said, this all happened many years ago," Jin explained, rubbing the back of his neck. He hated going back on the darker times of their ruling. "Back in the day, whenever a worshipper would come into the temple and acted crazy or possessed, they had to be locked up for their own good. Around the clock they would be monitored to see if they would improve through 'special' treatment, and if they didn't…well…" Jin's voice trailed off at that moment, not sure if Scarlet wanted to hear the rest.

"What happened to them?" Scarlet asked, leaning forwards on the bed.

Jin massaged his forehead with a heavy sigh. "Well, anyways, the woman you saw was named Ayame. As you could probably tell from her outfit, she was alive many centuries ago. She was brought here because she would act as though she were possessed by a demonic force—growling, hissing, and biting the nurses was basically what she did. The nurses tried their best to rid her of it, but they were unsuccessful in their attempts." He closed his eyes, having to remember how crazy the woman would act against his worshippers. "The weird thing was, she would act calm and civil around me. It was like she was deeply in love with me." Jin could remember how Ayame would try several times to seduce the demon though he wanted nothing to do with her.

Scarlet couldn't help but get chills at the story Jin was telling her. "So what did you do with her?"

"When the possessed or mentally ill couldn't be cured, the demons of the temples were asked to kill them in some way—usually it was done by devouring them," Jin hesitantly admitted.

"You ate her!" Scarlet exclaimed as this shocked her, even though she had seen Jin try to eat human corpses of those that caused problems. "How could you do that!"

"Demons aren't too unfamiliar with eating humans," Jin explained in his defense. "Hell, some can only live on human flesh! We're not saints, you know?" He couldn't help but look sorrowfully down at the ground with a shake of his head. "Besides, I am not saying I was proud of what I did." He sighed while continuing. "In the past, it was never considered that some were born with a mental illness. It was all thought that each one was possessed and needed to be done away with quickly. We didn't do exorcisms as often back then." Jin thought back on the moment he entered Ayame's bedroom to have the woman rush towards him with a sick, demented grin. When the young woman had her back turned to him, Jin remembered sinking his teeth into her neck to kill her instantly—causing the blood to splatter on her face and neck before dripping down her body to soak her kimono. "After that night that I killed her and did away with her body, I made sure she wouldn't do anybody any harm within the temple walls. I have locked her spirit into that room, as she is still unstable even in death. The only reason she is as active right now is because the world is sinking further into Makai."

"Is there anything else like that that you'd like to share with me?" Scarlet inquired with a raise of her brow. "It seems you're hiding a lot from someone who is supposed to work closely with you. Lord knows I don't want to be your next meal."

"Hey, I don't ask you about all your secrets," Jin pointed out, as he pushed himself from off of the bedside. "Besides, we're talking about many years of my life compared to your twenty-six." He moved the applications and writing utensils from Scarlet's bed before tucking the young woman in for the night. "And I don't eat my followers unless they give me a reason to. I promise." Jin could tell she was still nervous given the way Scarlet was eyeing her. "Don't be scared. I don't hurt the people who matter the most to me and do as I ask." Moving forwards, he kissed her on the forehead before pulling from her side. "Sleep well, Scarlet."

Scarlet watched Jin leave her room before bothering to turn over to stare at the wall. She knew if she looked out at her room, the shadows would play tricks with her. Closing her eyes, she tried to forget the events that plagued her, though finding it terribly difficult till exhaustion took her over.

* * *

Eventually Scarlet was able to find herself a job at the bookstore she was so interested in. Getting to work on her first day a week or so later, she put the books up that had just come into the store. As she was doing so, she noticed one of her female co-workers doing the same thing but by magical standards. Hiding against the row she was within, she watched as a, probably, 40 or so year old woman was using her index finger just to levitate the books up to their placement if she couldn't reach where they belonged. She had long, braided dull brown hair, which had streaks of gray in it. One of the books falling from her arms, Scarlet bent down to grab it up into her hands. It did, however, alert the woman to what she was doing.

"Oh," she said, catching Scarlet not too far away. "You must be the new employee. Scarlet, is it?" She made her way over towards the young woman in her jeans and blue t-shirt uniform. "My name is Angela Berkin." Angela extended her hand to shake Scarlet's.

Scarlet accepted Angela's hand for a handshake, "I am Scarlet Baker."

"Oh!" The woman exclaimed between them, opening Scarlet's hand to see the symbol on it. "You are part of the Wind Lord's group. I think I remember you. Weren't you one of his first to finally be baptized as his servant?" When Scarlet looked at her confused, Angela showed off her symbol on her palm that had the same mark that belonged to the wind demon. "I am one of his high priestess."

"I saw what you were doing earlier," Scarlet pointed out, as she walked beside the woman with the books she still had yet to put up. "Is that something you've learned?"

Angela used her abilities once more in front of the befuddled Scarlet, to let her see that she was actually using the wind to guide the books where she wanted them to go. "Sort of," she giggled, as she went to the next aisle of books. "The Wind Lord himself actually taught me. He said I was one of the worshippers that could actually control the wind if I put enough energy into it."

Scarlet scrunched up her face a bit with a shrug. "It must be nice to be able to have special abilities that are unlocked."

"Has he not spoken to you about what abilities you can have?" Angela inquired, as she finished with putting her books away. "It varies age wise when people show signs that they can do certain things." She looked back over her shoulder at Scarlet to note another design on her other palm. "Were you double baptized?"

"I original was worshipping Touya, but I stopped when my mother died," Scarlet explained, as she followed behind Angela closely, putting some of her books away along the way. "I fell out with the ice demon and moved onto Jin to ask about Touya, as the two were close friends in lore and currently."

Angela shrugged slightly with a slight contort of her face to think. "You might have ice abilities and not wind." She turned around to look at Scarlet. "It isn't uncommon for worshippers to even get powers from other demons, but it is very common for them to either have no special abilities or have powers relating back to the demon they were baptized under. Did your mother have any special ice abilities?"

Scarlet finished with her last book when she thought about it. "I am not sure." She had difficulty thinking back ten years of her life. "I think she was learning how to heal with her energies, but I don't remember."

"Well, if the Ice Lord cannot help you, I know something that might." Angela beckoned Scarlet to follow her to the section that had Wind Knoll's religion section. Running her fingers across the bindings of the books, she came across the one she was hunting for. Angela plucked a volume off of the shelf to hand over to Scarlet. "That book is about looking into yourself to do ice and snow magic. If you have problems with it, just ask Touya about it."

"He still wants me to work on becoming his high priestess. I am so used to doing the shit work around Jin, that I don't even know how high priestesses can do it," said Scarlet, as she walked back up front to mind her cash register she was assigned to. "As a servant I fetch his food, fix whatever private bath he wants, and…." Realizing that the last bit was a little personal, she paused. "…And don't worry about that last part."

"Everyone knows about the last part," Angela chuckled, as she leaned against the front counter. "And every servant, because of that, is envied."

"All because I get my brains banged out by Jin?" Scarlet asked with a raise of her brow. "He doesn't even do it that often." She opened up the magazine she was reading earlier before putting some books away. "He mostly goes to his high priestesses if he needs to."

"He must be desperate," Angela pointed out. "Wasn't there news of the demons attacking his temple lately some time ago?" She witnessed Scarlet nod, even though the young woman was busy reading her magazine till a customer came into her line. "Yeah, because if the Earth Lord falls, he'll be the next in line to raise the barrier, so Hiei and Jin are getting the majority of attacks lately, as Touya is still regaining his energy."

"If Jin was so weak, I wish he'd just come to me a bit more often," Scarlet grumbled, continuing to flip through the pages of her magazine.

Angela smirked, leaning upon her elbows to look up at the ceiling of the store. "Someone sounds jealous."

"That's why I got this job," Scarlet said with an irritable sigh. "I wanted to take my mind off of him."

"Being a servant girl, that's not going to be easy with avoiding him," Angela insisted, as she pushed off of the counter. "How about, after work, I take you home? I am sure Jin would want you returning home in one piece, and it is quite dangerous out there if you don't have a car."

"I can drive, but I don't have a car," explained Scarlet, as she ran her fingers through her bi-colored hair. "I always used my dad's car if I ever had to go somewhere, so I never bothered with buying one."

"Well, I can take you back to the temple, seeing as we're going to the same place anyways once we close," said Angela, as she fixed some of the merchandise on display. "Take care, dear." With that said, she headed back out onto the floor of the store to help customers while Scarlet remained at her register.


	36. Chapter 36

That night, Scarlet opened the book that Angela had suggested to her. She ran her fingers over the words to find the description of how ice powers usually worked within Touya and his followers. Ice, by default, was considered a type of evil, demonic magic, as it froze and slowly sucked the life out of anything it incased. It had its healing opportunities, but it didn't have many positive aspects of it. Turning to another page, Scarlet saw a few illustrations on ways to use the powers to attack any enemies. They almost looked like dance moves to her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the ice rose that Touya made for her some time ago. No matter what force was ever put on it, the rose never shattered. Scarlet reached over and took it within her hand to admire the texture of it before putting it back in the vase she had it in. Closing the book she was reading, she put it under her pillow before blowing out the three candles on her nightstand that she had lit for the night. Situating herself on the pillow beneath her, Scarlet closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Slipping into the spiritual world, Scarlet wandered about the dreamy atmosphere to find herself within some beautiful surrounding. The bushes and trees and each blade of grass was the perfect shade of green and the sky was the perfect blue. Walking out of the woods and into a very, vast plain, Scarlet saw someone standing further in the high grass up ahead. Not able to make out who they were, she hurried towards them. Getting close enough, Scarlet stopped just a few feet away from them. _**"Touya?"**_ She wondered curiously, recognizing the demon. _**"What are you doing here?"**_

Hearing Scarlet's voice, Touya turned around with a raise of his brow. _**"The question is, what are you doing here?" **_He made his way over towards the young woman through the thick grass before looking about the area around him. _**"I often come to this part of my mind just to relax. It is an area from my past that I used to often visit just to clear my mind." **_He headed further through the empty plains, knowing there was an ocean somewhere to the east.

Scarlet followed behind Touya quickly, not wanting to get lost in a world she was unfamiliar with. _**"Wait, how did I end up in your spiritual mind then?"**_ She pushed the tall grass aside, so she could get to where she was going faster.

"_**You were probably thinking about me and unknowingly called to me,"**_ said Touya, as he looked over his shoulder at Scarlet. _**"Was there something you wanted to tell me?"**_ The ice demon seemed to pause once he stepped upon the sandy beach, almost feeling unsure about the area. He didn't mention anything about it to Scarlet right away, as he continued onwards towards the ocean.

"_**Well, I was reading about ice powers, because a co-worker at my new job suggested I do so if I was so bummed about not being able to do anything special,"**_ explained Scarlet, as she felt the warm sand beneath her naked feet.

"_**Bummed?"**_ Touya inquired, keeping his focus straight ahead at the roaring waves further down the sand about them. _**"You're upset that you weren't born with some powers?"**_

"_**You sound like you're mocking me," **_Scarlet pointed out, as she made it beside the ice master, who was almost her same height.

"_**I am not mocking you at all,"**_ said Touya, as he beckoned Scarlet to follow him to a cobblestone path, which would lead closer to the ocean waves without them having to walk through the blistering sand. _**"The thing is, when humans manage to tap into those powers, it can be nice, yes, but it isn't a big deal. I don't think half of them realize that, by doing so, they are opening themselves up to more demonic attacks, as well as slipping into a more demonic state themselves."**_

Scarlet paused in her footsteps, dumbfounded by his comment. _**"What…? I thought using magic was the old basics of way back when for humans."**_

Making it to the end of the path, Touya sat down to let his feet slip into the cool water. _**"While waving your hand and casting a harmless spell like lighting candles, or helping yourself or someone fall in love, or wishing for wealth is all well and good, doing the powers that we, the demons do, is slipping into a demonic state."**_ He watched the water ripple before looking up at Scarlet, nodding for her to sit down with him. _**"Back in the older years of our ruling, we used to encourage it. Anybody who could do ice magic was well taken care of under myself. I saw them as my sons or daughters. I trained them hard to get them to do their best. But now, it is up to them on whether they want to learn under me or not."**_

"_**So what do you say about me? What powers do you think I have?**_" Scarlet asked, waving her legs back and forth in the water to get herself warm.

Touya squinted through the power of the sun, which was all around them, to look her directly in the eyes with a chuckle. He raised his left hand before closing his narrow orbs to take in the energies trapped within the girl before placing his hand back on the stone ground beneath him and looking back into Scarlet's eyes. _**"You have ice powers, as I thought you would. Your mother had the same thing, expect she was a healer. Being a healer is a lesser evil under my temple, as you use the purest form of ice—water."**_

"_**So I have ice powers, you said,"**_ Scarlet said with a shrug of her shoulders. _**"Does that mean I am a fighter or what does that mean?"**_

"_**You sound so eager,"**_ Touya laughed lightly, flicking some water playfully at her to make her snap back to her senses. _**"I think you might want to talk to my high priests and priestesses before you get so happy about me training you."**_

Scarlet shrieked lightly at the water touching her face, bringing her hands up to block anything else Touya might toss her way. _**"Why do you say that like it is a bad thing? Don't tell me you're a horrible person to learn under."**_

Touya shrugged, removing his baggy, white shirt from his chest to toss off to the side before jumping into the water. Coming to the surface, he shook his head about before wiping the water free from his eyes. _**"Well, I was a trained assassin,"**_ the ice master pointed out. _**"Do you honestly think I was given easy training most of my life? Jin was trained the same way. We were trained to be killers for many years, so that training we went through is the only one we know."**_ Touya motioned towards the water he was within. _**"Come on; the water won't bite you. I know I needed a reason to cool off."**_

"_**I don't have anything under this but my bra,"**_ Scarlet explained with a nervous chuckle. She didn't like the thought of having the ice demon see her in her half naked.

"_**You think you're the first person I've seen in your bra let alone naked?"**_ Touya asked with a scoff. _**"I think you forget about that Cleansing Room every temple has."**_

Scarlet got to her feet finally with a huff. _**"Alright, alright,"**_ she grumbled, tossing her white t-shirt to the side before diving into the water after the ice master. She made sure to jump in fast, not wishing to show off her half clothed body to Touya no matter how many people he had seen before her. Coming back up to the surface, she pulled away her blond and black streaked hair from her pallid face. _**"So you could open up my powers?"**_

Touya began to swim backwards with a chuckle. _**"If you want me to, I can sure do it. But once we begin this training, if you reach a certain level of training, you're not allowed to stop."**_

"_**Why do you make it sound like you're going to be so aggressive?"**_ Scarlet couldn't bring it within herself to believe that either of the ninja demons could be so to train anyone.

Looking over at Scarlet with a raise of his brow, he used his ice powers to seal her in place in the ocean. He watched as she squirmed to try and get free while swimming over to the patch of ice he had created.

Scarlet could feel herself shaking from the cold racing through her body. Every time she tried to move, the ice cut through her skin and made her bleed. Closing her eyes tightly, she screamed at the pain. She watched as Touya just swam nearby, watching her without pity in his eyes. _**"What-why are you doing this!"**_ She exclaimed, still struggling to get free.

Touya overlapped his arms upon the ice patch, resting his chin on his forearms. _**"You do realize that if you train under me, you'll be under harsher conditions than this."**_ He knocked his knuckles on the thick ice. _**"You'll be in a room that's colder than you being encased in this demon ice. It'll be so cold that if you cry, your tears will freeze to your face. So, are you sure you're wanting to go through this? Because that's not even half of it."**_

She had a very low tolerance for cold, but Scarlet wanted to learn to do something. Biting her lower lip and huffing through her nostrils, she hesitantly nodded. _**"I am sure whatever you dish out I can take it!"**_ Scarlet growled, trying to sound tough to the demon. She watched as Touya opened his palm to show off, what looked like, tiny snow balls. _**"What are you doing…?"**_ She asked nervously.

"_**Think fast!"**_ Touya shouted, looking as though he were blowing her a kiss to send out his ice shards to cut against her skin. He didn't show that he felt mercy at having to cut her body with his own attack, nor did he let her screams bother him. Here, he slammed his palms down on the ice beneath his arms. _**"And that's me only attacking your soul! Just imagine me attacking both when you try to challenge me!"**_

"_**I can take it!"**_ Scarlet yelled, panting heavily at the attacks against her. She glared at the ice master through her wet hair. _**"I am not going to be some weakling that everyone has to take care! I refuse to be that!"**_

"_**I guess I cannot talk you out of it,"**_ Touya sighed, as he called back his ice to let Scarlet free. _**"Fine, if you want to learn, come by my temple on Saturday. I should have a moment to spare then early in the morning. You just have to fit me into your schedule." **_With that said, he began to swim backwards again though he kept his eyes on Scarlet. _**"For now, I bid you farewell."**_

Scarlet watched as the entire world suddenly started going black. Her body twitched a bit while she was sleeping, only to find herself waking up back to the empty, dark room she last was within. She couldn't help but find herself looking back at the ice rose that Touya had given her. As she was about to reach for it, she felt something wet and sticky sliding down her cheek. Her fingers quickly touched an opened wound there to find that the shards did indeed cut through her skin. "Touya, you bastard," she grumbled, dabbing the cut with the bed sheets.

Grumbling, Scarlet fell back down on her pillow to try and finish sleeping after running into the ice demon as she did. She couldn't find the energy to focus on stopping the cuts from bleeding, so Scarlet let them be, figuring they would stop eventually as she slept.

* * *

The next day at breakfast, Scarlet continued to dwell on what happened to her in her dreams. She had her ice high priestess book open, but she wasn't really reading the words on the page she had opened. She could hear Jin walking around the Dinning Hall and talking to some of the worshippers he could see as well as joining them. Scarlet looked up to see the redhead talking to a group of people. She watched as they all laughed and goofed off with one another. Scarlet sighed, looking back at her book momentarily before looking back at Jin and the others. "Dammit, Jin," she mumbled to herself. "I hate you for baptizing me as your servant." Regardless of even the new job, she found herself just feeling worse heartache than before regarding the fact that Jin couldn't be hers.

Sighing, she closed her book and left her food where it was. She couldn't find it within herself to finish it. Just as she was about to leave, Scarlet stopped herself when she saw Jin move away to reveal a rather frail looking young pre-teen sitting there beside him. She drowned out the sounds about her to focus on the young, curly blond haired girl. With how thin the girl's arms were, Scarlet knew she was anorexic. Scarlet watched as Jin bent down to kiss the nameless girl on the cheek before heading off elsewhere. She hurried as quickly as possible to the front of the temple, so she could go on a walk for a bit. Scarlet was halfway there when she heard someone calling her name.

"Scarlet, where are you going?" Justin asked, as he could tell she was in a hurry. "I thought you had servant training with Jin in an hour?"

"Well, that's in an hour. Besides, right now, I think I need some fresh air," Scarlet insisted, as she was about to open the front doors to let herself out. She had opened it only a little bit to have the high priest shut it back.

"I really wish the both of you would stop piddle-fucking around!" Justin hissed angrily, as he leaned against the door. "Both you and Jin are stubborn mules!" He grabbed Scarlet's wrist to pull her back towards Jin's bedroom. "At any rate, you do have servant training come up, and you need to be here!"

"Will you stop!" Scarlet exclaimed, pulling her wrist free from Justin's grasp. She rubbed her slightly hurt wrist while eyeing the high priest angrily at his actions. "Why is it anyone's business as to what we do!"

"Because we all know Jin is stupid and doesn't know what is good for him!" Justin explained almost angrily, as he pointed at Scarlet. "When he had his servants at his side, he was the happiest he had ever been from what I was told. Even if he never treated them with respect in the olden days, he got better as the years passed, and he fell in love with each one of them. He's gone on long enough heartbroken."

"Well, seeing as it is my emotions on the line, I am going to say this," Scarlet began rather bitterly, "eventually, more servants will be baptized under him, and I will be competing with other men and women. I am not going to bother with that." She knew, either way, Justin wasn't going to let her leave the temple till her training was over. Sighing heavily, she walked inside of Jin's bedroom and sat down on his mattress to wait for the wind master. She couldn't help but continue to think about the dream she had dealing with Touya. Scarlet plopped down on her back to gaze up at the ceiling to think back on it before hearing the door open.

"You're here rather early," said Jin, as he made his way to his bed to plop down beside her. The force of his body hitting the mattress almost sent Scarlet flying upwards a bit. "It will be another fifty or so minutes until I train you, unless you wanted to start early."

"It doesn't matter to me," Scarlet admitted with an exasperated sigh.

Jin turned slightly to eye the injury on Scarlet's face. "What happened there?" He eyed the poorly cleaned up blood that had marked her face. "You weren't attacked, were you?"

"Yes and no," Scarlet explained, as she pushed his hand away from her face. "Last night I actually went into the spirit world and came across Touya. Well, long story short, I asked him to train me, because I am tired of not being able to do squat like everyone else can."

"And he showed you what it is like under his training methods, I am to surmise," said Jin with a bit of worry in his tone. He turned on his side to get a better look at her. "Why are you interested in taking up that training? I don't think you even realize what you're getting into."

Scarlet scoffed at Jin's words. "I think this mark on my face says I do." She pushed herself up on the bed to sit upright on the covers. "He showed me what all he was going to do to me and put me through, and I told him I wanted to try it."

Jin shook his wild hair with an irritated snort. "You've done a lot of stupid things in the past year or so, but I have to admit, this is the absolute worst!" He wasn't about to care that he was probably offended Scarlet, so Jin continued. "Touya is going to lock you in a single room and throw everything he has at you. You're going to be trapped in there with hardly much clothing on while he freezes the room."

"I am sure if he believes in me, I will be fine," Scarlet insisted angrily, irritated by Jin's words. "I am tired of seeing everyone do something great around me when all I am good at doing is fetching your food!"

"Why do you keep saying things like that?" Jin demanded to know, watching as Scarlet turned her back to him. "I don't see why you're so intent on trying to prove to everyone you're something you're not!" He lowered his voice slightly, trying to figure that out for himself. "Are you that insecure about yourself?"

Scarlet spun her head around to gaze angrily down at the wind master. "You're a jerk!" Just as she was about to slap him, she found the demon quick to react by grabbing her wrist. She struggled against his grip only to find that he had the upper hand, per usual.

"What is it that you're trying to prove?" Jin inquired once more, making sure he had both of Scarlet's wrists in his hands. "Do you seriously want to go through torment just to be as good as everyone else?" When Scarlet managed to pull her hands back, Jin sighed with a shake of his head once more. "I don't understand you, and I have been working with you for a year now."

"That makes two of us," Scarlet remarked under her breath, even though she knew the demon's keen ears would pick up her words.

Resting on his elbows, Jin rested his head against the bed to view Scarlet upside down. "I know why you're mad at me, but I am sorry. I am sure if you knew what heartbreak was like, you wouldn't risk it yourself."

Scarlet hesitantly turned around to see that the demon's hair was all over the bed from where Jin was looking at her upside down on the opposite side of the bed. "You act like you don't even see your servants. Their spirits are within these walls, aren't they?"

Jin's blue eyes shifted off to the side, as he rolled his shoulders slightly with a raise of his hands. "Yes, but what is your point? Just because I can visit them and hear them on occasion doesn't mean touching them will ever be the same." He rolled over onto his stomach at that moment, as he found himself getting a bit dizzy with all the blood rushing to his head. "Scarlet, you are one of the first I have gotten baptized under me in a long while, so you're going to be a partial favorite of mine. But, if you're going to go train under Touya, you're going to get yourself killed!"

"Jin," Scarlet interrupted with an annoyed sigh.

"I don't want you to go through with this!" Jin continued regardless, banging his fist onto the covers. "I know you want to take your mind off of a few things. I am no dummy to that! But there have to be other ways you can do so!"

Scarlet turned to face the wind master once more, sitting cross-legged on his bed with her hands in her lap. "There _**are**_ other ways."

Jin rose his brow, not sure if he wanted to hear what Scarlet had to say. Her tone was a bit uncertain.

"I have considered moving into Touya's temple on occasions," Scarlet said, fidgeting. She knew Jin wasn't going to like her saying such a thing, but it was an option that dawned on her.

"You really want to torment me until I say 'I love you', don't you?" Jin couldn't help but feel betrayed by her words. He ran his fingers through his hair before bringing them in front of his mouth to try and think. "I am sorry, Scarlet, but I cannot do that right now." When he saw her get agitated, he continued. "I explained it to you why several times before! How many times do I have to explain it to you!"

"Just like Justin said, you're being a stubborn jackass!" Scarlet hissed, getting up from the bed to make her way towards the door only to have the demon appear quickly in front of her, as she couldn't follow his speed. She found herself running into his chest.

"I believe he said you were a stubborn jackass too," Jin added, as he grabbed her by the upper arm to guide her back to the bed. "Though I could have sworn he said 'mule' and not the alternative form." He made sure Scarlet sat down on the bed even though she was giving him the evil eye at that moment. Jin then knelt down, as he held her hands against her will. "If you want to go to Touya's temple and train, then you can do so, but if it becomes too tough, I want you to tell me."

"I refuse to come crawling to you when I am down," Scarlet admitted with a shake of her head. "I am not your daughter, Jin; I am your servant girl! And if my memory serves me correctly, if we're wounded, that shouldn't be your concern."

"What you read was a very old book from a very old servant of mine," Jin explained in his defense. "When they got injured, I didn't a care about it back then. The reason was I had so many people being baptized under me, and I was lucky enough to have servants following me to the point I didn't have to move an inch some days. I took them for granted!"

"Then why do you take me for granted!" Scarlet raised her voice angrily, eyeing him disapprovingly.

Jin was silent, unaware of what to say next, as he lowered his head. "Maybe…you should go to Touya's temple for a year or so." He found himself biting his lower lip at willing to say such a thing. "It isn't something I really want you to do, but if you think it is best for you, then I won't force you to stay." Jin patted the empty areas on either side of her with his hands before getting to his feet.

"Jin, I am sorry," Scarlet eventually apologized. She looked away to do so, as she never had it in her to look someone directly in the eyes to apologize. "Humans are complicated creatures, you know that. You've been around them for many years, so you _**should**_ know. When some humans are in love, we have to let the other person know. I am sure you love dancing around on the notion, but I have to admit I don't." She knew she couldn't handle being at Touya's for a full year. It would be like uprooting herself and trying to get comfortable again, and Scarlet couldn't handle change well in some ways. "How about just six months? I am sure we could both use a break for the time being to look within ourselves."

"Fair deal then," spoke Jin quietly, as he kissed her tenderly on the cheek. "However, I do expect you over here for servant training regardless of what you're doing over there."

Scarlet nodded with a sorrowful exhale. "I know."

"So what did you want to do for the thirty minutes you have until I start working with you?" Jin asked, as he spied the time on the clock nearby. "Did you want to start training now or something else?"

Lying down on the wind demon's bed, she shook her head. "No, I think I might just lie here for a bit until the training begins." She felt the bed move slightly under Jin's bodyweight, as the wind master crawled closer to her. Scarlet reluctantly turned around to see the demon there beside her. Closing her eyes, she felt him embrace her lovingly. Scarlet rested her forehead against his chest, hiding her smile.

* * *

When the day came for Scarlet to try her training under the ice master, she had a majority of her things packed as well. As she was leaving, Jin, Justin, Angela, and Rachel met her at the door. She smiled tenderly at her co-worker, knowing she would see Angela soon enough at work. Rachel, however, was quick to stop her from walking out the door with a tight hug.

"I am going to miss you," said Razz quietly between them. "I just hope you know what you're doing here."

"I sadly need to do this," Scarlet explained before eyeing Justin, who was near the wind demon. She witnessed as the high priest shook his head disapprovingly with his arms crossed upon his chest. Scarlet knew that the priest didn't want her to 'run away' from her problems, but she knew that she and Jin just needed a bit of distance with one another. "Besides, I'll be back in half a year. Don't worry." Pulling from Rachel, she whacked Justin with one of her bags. "Cheer up. I'll return eventually," she grumbled to the priest.

"You're making a big mistake," Justin insisted after grunting from the slight pain inflicted upon him. "Why you have to take off like this is beyond me." He couldn't help but look over at Jin at that moment. "And you're letting her do this!"

"Justin," Jin growled, hinting that he wanted the priest to drop it. After saying the young man's name, he watched as Justin made his way back into the Wind Temple to be alone. He tried to put on a smile for the moment regardless of what was going on. "Don't worry about him. He has a hard time letting go of the thoughts of others." Jin offered his hand to Scarlet. "Shall we go?"

Scarlet accepted Jin's hand, so that the two of them could head onwards to the Ice Temple.

The two of them headed there in the middle of the night. Jin didn't want to be seen carrying her in daylight. Managing to find his way through the heavy fog, he was a bit relieved and yet saddened to come upon his friend's home. He smiled at Scarlet momentarily before opening the doors himself to guide the young woman inside. "Touya?" Jin called, as he walked into the cold temple, lit by blue flames. "Touya, are you here?" Walking further inside with some of Scarlet's bags, he made it halfway down the main part of the building to find the ice demon sitting on the throne that was built for him centuries ago.

"I didn't expect you both to be here this late," Touya explained, as he rested his cheek upon his knuckles. His high priestess, Jessica, was right beside him. The ice master nodded towards the woman near his throne. "Take Scarlet Baker to her room, Jess. I'd appreciate it."

"Yes, my Lord," whispered Jessica, as she headed over towards Scarlet to take some of her bags from the wind demon. "This way, my dear."

Touya waited until the two women were out of sight before turning his focus to Jin. "Are you really sure about this? This is your only servant, and those demons are banging on your temple doors as we speak. You need her energy."

"I can feed off of her energy from a distance should I need to," explained Jin. "Besides, I have my high priestesses and priests. I should be okay." He was quiet while rushing through his own feelings for a moment. "Touya, before I leave, can I say something real quick?"

"What?" Touya mumbled, aware he wasn't going to like whatever was going to come out of the wind master's mouth.

"If you kill her with your training," Jin began in a rather protective tone, "I might just have to do the same to one of your prized worshippers."

"I tried to talk her out of it," Touya insisted, not phased by Jin's words.

"No, you didn't," Jin growled angrily, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You weren't there when I told her she was making a big mistake," Touya continued to explain in his defense. "I even attacked her, and I am sure you saw the marks I left on her just by attacking her with my Ice Shards."

Jin's lips quivered slightly to show his fangs. "For even doing that, I should at least get a free punch in with you."

"I didn't hit her vitals!" Touya retaliated, pushing himself up to his feet. "Why are you acting this way!" He exclaimed, only to get no response out of his friend right away. "I know she's your precious servant, but she is also my high priestess! Her mother was someone I treasured, and I treasured her for a long while until she fell out of my grasp. Just because she's something to you doesn't mean you can take her away from her placement here!"

"Bloody bastard," Jin grumbled finally, running his fingers through his hair. "I still mean what I said earlier, Touya. Don't think I didn't." He managed to stabilize his mood a bit. "Just don't forget her meetings with Donovan and her time with me for her training."

"Jin, will you just get your ass back to your temple? Leaving it unguarded isn't a wise idea," Touya insisted, as he turned away to head after Scarlet and Jessica only to stop at the archway leading into the hallway on the left side of the building. "I promise I am not going to do anything against your will." He stared down the redhead until the wind demon headed for the exit.


	37. Chapter 37

_**Author's Notes**_: I have found a way to divide up when moments pass, finally! **(xxxx) **Will be the new way to go about it for me. xB Eat me

**

* * *

**

It felt like Scarlet had just fallen asleep when she was woken with a harsh shake. "Scarlet," Touya called in attempts to rouse her. "Scarlet, wake up before I dump water on you."

Scarlet moaned, placing her arm over her forehead. "What time is it? I am so damn tired," she mumbled wearily.

"It is 6:30 in the morning," answered Touya, as he ripped the covers off of her body. "Come on; come with me." When he heard the young woman groan, he stopped at the doorway with a disapproving shake of his head. "Don't give me that. You wanted to learn to do this, so grab something to eat and meet me at the Training Hall."

Pushing herself out into the cold hallway, Scarlet found that she had to walk about in at least a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. She even kept a small fleece blanket about her body with a low mumble while dragging her feet through the many corridors. Eventually, she found her way to the Ice Temple's Dinning Hall. Scarlet leaned on the doors tiredly before opening them to let herself inside. Finding the closest surface to sit upon, Scarlet rested her head upon the table to try and relax her eyes just a little.

"You really shouldn't do that," a young man advised, dressed in casual attire. "If you're here for training, I think the Ice Lord is going to want you as soon as possible."

Scarlet gazed through her exhausted eyes to see a young boy, probably in his mid-teens, with short, black hair and glasses. "Who are you?" She asked groggily behind her arms she had crossed in front of her.

"I am just a worshipper here," explained the young boy, as he sat down across from her. "I mostly live here under Touya's roof, because my parents are too caught up within themselves to notice anything I do." He extended his hand to Scarlet. "My name is Bastian."

"My name is Scarlet," she said quietly, accepting his hand before bringing it back to rest close to her again. "Bastian sounds like a foreign name to me. Were you always here in Wind Knoll?"

"No, my family is originally from Germany," Bastian answered. "My folks were on vacation one day around the outer area of Wind Knoll when the fog picked up and carried my family into its clutches. I wasn't born yet, but my parents said that they drove on a dirt road till their car suddenly stopped right in the middle of nowhere in dark woods clouded by the heavy mist. They eventually found their way here and have lived here every since."

"You don't sound like you have an accent," Scarlet remarked, as she rose to her feet to help herself to get something to eat.

"My parents do, but I was born and raised here," Bastian explained, as he followed behind Scarlet to get himself something to eat as well. "So, naturally, I don't have an accent like they do." He grabbed up a muffin and a few pancakes before heading back to the table to sit down and enjoy his meal. "So, you're the woman he's going to be training today?"

"Yes," answered Scarlet, as she sat down to enjoy a few things she felt she could stomach that morning. "I was told that it is going to be tough for me, but I want to try this. Everywhere I look, someone is able to do something special like read minds, or move the wind, or make fire," She couldn't help but sigh at having to remind herself of that fact. "I just want to join them."

"Good luck on that one," the young boy mumbled with his mouth partially full of the blueberry muffin he was eating. "I heard that training is pretty tough. I am one of the few who are glad they don't have to go through it."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Scarlet remarked sarcastically, as she messed with her food. "I don't care if it kills me." She stabbed her fork into the pancakes she as well chose to eat that morning. "I am going to do my best to learn something under him."

"If you're going to learn anything, it is going to be how to bleed," Bastian insisted, as he worked on finishing his breakfast.

Touya waited impatiently for Scarlet to make it to the Training Hall just outside of the room he usually used. Picking up the sound of someone running towards him, he looked up from the ground he was staring upon. "You are late," he growled upon seeing Scarlet make an appearance. "What took you so long?"

"I am sorry," Scarlet lightly panted, as she ran as fast as she could to find the Training Hall Touya mentioned earlier. "I just didn't know where this place was. You could have told me that."

"No excuses," Touya demanded, as he opened the door to wave her inside. "You could have asked someone earlier and found your way here in record timing."

Scarlet made it inside of the large, circular room to find it void of anything. She was confused, thinking that there would be more to it than this. "What is this, some kind of joke? I would have thought the room would have more to it than this."

Touya couldn't say he cared for her sarcastic attitude. Upon shutting the door, he narrowed his eyes at her before concentrating on his energy to bring out his cold barrier, which encased the entire room in below zero temperature.

Feeling the cold air rush all over her body nearly crippled Scarlet entirely. Her arms embracing her freezing form, she fell to her knees feeling herself unable to move. "S-So c-cold…!" Her breath on the air, Scarlet tried not to let any part of her flesh touch the ground around her, having a feeling her skin might be ripped from her if she touched it.

"You wanted to do this, so we shall. Now, get on your feet," he ordered with a stomp of his foot. When Scarlet didn't rise up fast enough, he made his way over towards her to pull her up. "Stop trembling like a child!"

"It is too cold!" Scarlet exclaimed through her chattering teeth. "What-what is the purpose of doing this…!" She grabbed onto her long sleeved shirt to pull it tighter against her body, hoping that would help her get warmer.

"Whenever somebody has any defense or fighting abilities in them, the only way they will come to the surface is if you put that demon or human in an intense situation," Touya explained, as he moved back away from Scarlet. He powered up his Ice Shards attack in both hands to get ready to attack Scarlet. "From what I've gathered, you have defensive abilities. Considering the amount of trouble you get into dealing with the spirit world, this should come in handy. However, we must get them out first."

"I can't do that if I don't even know how to tap into my powers to begin with!" Scarlet insisted, seeing him powering up his attack. She knew with how cold she was she wouldn't be able to dodge the oncoming assault.

"Powers come from within you," Touya explained, as he walked about the opposite side of the room like a cat stalking its injured prey. "You dig within yourself to bring them out. How you come about it, isn't my affair. This is just to make sure that it comes out of you in the end." Bringing his hand up close to his mouth, he blew the shards towards Scarlet.

Scarlet turned around hoping to avoid being cut to death by the razor sharp shards. It was to no avail, however, as she felt the shards slice right through her skin and clothing to cause her to bleed. Falling to her side, Scarlet could feel the cold almost eat her alive through the injuries she received. Her eyes widened, she screamed loudly at the pain raking through her.

**(xxxx)**

Touya knew that Scarlet couldn't take a bunch of hits on her first day in training, so after a few more harsh words spared, he let some of his priestesses take her to the room she had taken up. Scarlet lied on her back on the bed, allowing Jessica to tend to her injuries. She bit the pillow she had her face buried within each time an open cut was dabbed with medicine.

"You brought this on yourself, you know?" Jessica insisted, as she carefully placed the strips of cloth over the wounded areas on Scarlet's back and sides. "It isn't as though he means to be cruel, but it is the only training that he knows how to do. I am just surprised your blood didn't freeze right away. I wonder what caused that not to happen."

"I didn't expect the training to be this hard," Scarlet mumbled against her pillow. She closed her eyes and hissed at the pain of feeling her opened gashes being touched once more. "God, that hurts!" Scarlet tried her best not to shed any more tears of agony though it was difficult.

Jessica washed her hands of the blood that had gotten on her fingers with a heavy sigh. "Well, sweetheart, it is going to hurt for awhile. Just try to lie down and rest for a few hours. You need to let that heal before stepping back into the ring again." She got to her feet with the bowl of medicine in her hands. "Don't worry, Scarlet. Everything is going to be okay."

Scarlet closed her eyes sorrowfully. "I hate the fact that being here just makes me miss Jin even more…" She heard Jessica stop just near the door to exit her room. "Every moment I was being hit by Touya's attacks, I was hoping that Jin would come rescue me."

"I know how you feel," Jessica remarked from in front of the door. "I have been close to the Ice Lord for many years now." She put the bowl down on a nearby table, which was holding a few pictures Scarlet brought with her. "When I was six, he was basically like a father to me. Whenever I was crying in my room, he would find his way to me, and hold me, and everything. Anytime I have to go to the Earth Temple to be with Kurama, I never stop thinking about him."

"Why do you have to go to the Earth Temple?" Scarlet was tempted to turn around to make eye contact, but she was quickly reminded why she couldn't when she attempted to move just an inch.

"My younger brother is a healer there at the temple," explained Jessica, as she messed with a necklace her sibling had given her. "When we had a rough time dealing with our mother, we leaned on one another a lot, so I try to spend time with him when I am able."

Scarlet was beginning to notice a trend with a lot of adults. It was beginning to worry her a bit, considering so many had gone crazy or were attempting to. "I guess I better get to sleep," said Scarlet wearily. "I know I probably won't have long until Touya comes back here to drag me into studying once more."

"Sleep well," whispered the high priestess, as she took the bowl with her and exited the room.

With the candles out in her room, Scarlet rested her cheek against the pillow she had cried within. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep as soon as the exhaustion overtook her. She felt as though she were asleep for only a few moments when she felt something was nearby her—in the bed with her. Opening her eyes, Scarlet turned her head quickly to eye the empty space next to her. Relief settled over her momentarily only to feel panic as soon as someone touched the top of her head.

"Shhh," Jin's voice whispered, as he pulled himself into view next to Scarlet with a gentle smile. "It is just me."

"Jin…?" Scarlet inquired in shock. "This-what are you doing here? How did you get here?" She was a bit nervous that it could be another demon playing with her mind. Lately, she found herself becoming paranoid.

"I could tell that you wanted me to be here," said Jin, as he pointed to his head. "We are linked, remember?" He rested his head in his hand before waving the other over the candles upon her nightstand to help illuminate the room. With light filling the dark room, Jin saw the way she was lying and the wounds on her back. "Touya was training you today?"

She could tell there was strain in his voice when he asked. "Yeah," Scarlet answered in a whisper. "I can't move. Those shards of his hurt." She found the pain still attacking her when she attempted to move once more.

"So he hurt you?" When Scarlet didn't answer right away, Jin pushed himself up off of the bed to look at her back to see the many bloodstained strips of cloth, which were wrapped around her body. He gently placed his fingers upon the bits of fabric concealing her wounds to find Scarlet yelp in pain. Growling angrily, he brought his hand back into a fist. "I told him not to do this. I told him I would hurt him if he went too far!"

"Jin, don't…!" Scarlet hissed at trying to move. "It isn't Touya's fault, it is my fault that I wanted to do this." She paused, thinking about her next choice of words wondering how Jin would take it. "To be honest, I still want to do this."

"You're insane," Jin snorted irritably with a shake of his head. "Touya is going to give you everything he's got, and that boyo, quite possibly, _**will**_ kill you!"

Scarlet exhaled heavily, as she gazed about the room curious a bit. "When you train your special worshippers, Jin, how do you go about it?" She watched as the demon went quiet. "Come on, Jin. I want to hear what you have to say about that."

Jin ran his fingers through his wild hair realizing that he was cornered. "When I train my worshippers, I have a room similar to Touya's that I put them in. A majority of them have the ability to use wind in some way whether it be to defend, fight, or just tease it for their own amusement. I fill the room up with my own wind powers to make sure they can keep their footing against anything that comes at them and to provoke their powers out. When they manage to keep on their feet, I toss my throwing stars, daggers, whatever I was given as a ninja at them to see if they can use the wind to defend against it."

"Let me guess, you throw it directly at them and if they fail, they get injured," whispered Scarlet, feeling the pain those people went through just to unleash their abilities.

"It would be stupid to throw anything at a human's vitals, don't you think, lassie?" Jin wondered with a brief chuckle. "Why do you think that you be marked by Touya, but he never aims at your heart or neck or anything else that could cause you to die?" He rubbed Scarlet's head gently. "When I train my fighters or defenders, I really push them to unlock what abilities I know they have. They may come out blooded and in pain, but they still reached their potential."

Scarlet remembered Touya saying that the two ninjas only knew how to train people based on how they were trained. She looked at the demon through the dim lighting of the flickering candles. "Your training must have been hell." She heard Jin chuckle softly in the soft light.

"Demons in general only know one way to train—that is with harsh discipline, and the more awareness you beat into your pupil, the better," explained Jin. "When I was younger, I was chosen to compete with a bunch of other wind demons for a spot in the shinobi sect. I was chosen and Touya was chosen from his master, because we were both the best. Once we were picked, we were put through years of harsh training just to master everything we could as well as master our own skills before our masters died." He rested his head down on the pillow to eye Scarlet closely with a brief raise of his brows. "But, that is for my defenders and fighters. When it comes to the others just having special talents with the wind that are not meant to do the above mentioned, like Angela, I just try my best to get them to master it. It is still a bit intense but not like the other."

"Have you ever…killed someone before in training?" Scarlet reluctantly asked, as she fidgeted with a black strand of her bi-colored hair.

"No," Jin admitted honestly, "and I don't plan on ever doing so." He rolled his shoulders thinking back on some incidents that did happen. "There were times that things went wrong, sure, but nothing bad ever happened to them."

"I must admit…I am surprised you came to see me." Scarlet felt herself blushing at the mere thought of him coming to 'rescue' her. Her heart even skipped a bit. "I didn't expect you'd bother with me for six months."

Jin tilted his head slightly, confused as to where she'd get that idea. "You do remember that ritual I performed on you, right? We are considered bound, and I am your spirit husband." He moved in closer to kiss her upon the forehead. Jin let the kiss linger before pulling away to rest nearby her. "I heard you calling out to me earlier, so I came as quickly as I could."

Scarlet's reflex was to try and hug him. However, just by using her right arm, she let out a loud cry in pain. Closing her eyes tightly, she breathed heavily to try and regain her composure. "God, this _**hurts**_…!"

Having to see her in so much pain angered the wind demon. When he heard the door opening, Jin shot his attention over towards who was entering to find it was his old friend, Touya. He witnessed the slightly surprised look on the ice master's face quickly disappear at seeing Jin there.

"I thought I smelled you here," said Touya, as he closed the door behind him. "Although, I must admit that it is a shock to see you here when your temple is constantly under attack."

Jin threw the covers off of himself, and jumped to the floor to rush over his friend. "How dare you do this to my only servant! I trusted you to treat her well!"

"I told you I would treat her like any other high priestess of _**mine**_!" Touya growled in his defense. Realizing that Scarlet was listening to their argument, he turned around to whisper back and forth between them in demonic. "I am sorry that she is your only servant, but she is another of my priestesses, and she can defend if I get her to unlock it!" He motioned angrily. "I hope you will keep in mind and remember in the future that her mother was _**my**_ worshipper, and Scarlet was, in turn, baptized by me when she was a baby. The only reason she came sulking to you was because she was a lost lamb and refused to speak to me!"

"Regardless," Jin hissed in demonic, "she baptized herself under me, and she is the first servant I have had in a very long time, dammit! I swear, if you do something to her, I won't be afraid to step in and attack you for it!"

Touya looked unaffected by Jin's attitude, as he looked over his shoulder at Scarlet to see the girl gazing at them, confused. "You will do well to remember she was mine first," he remarked selfishly in demonic still. "I lost some of my worshippers in that demonic attack, so any others I can get back are welcome for me. If you so badly wish to have another servant, breed your damn humans more."

Jin knew it wouldn't be the time or place to do anything about Touya's words to him. Realizing that he had to head back to his temple, he walked back over to Scarlet to kneel at the bedside to hold her closest hand within his own. "If you need me, don't be afraid to contact me. I am afraid I have to go and make sure Jillian is okay."

"Jillian?" Scarlet inquired wearily against the pillow. "You mean that tiny girl I saw you with?"

"Yeah," Jin answered with a sorrowful smile. "She is young and yet she has anorexia. I've been trying to get her to eat, but she tells me that the demons or voices won't let her. I think the demons are taunting her, so I am trying my best to save her before she dies from lack of food." With that said, he spared Scarlet one last kiss on the cheek before pulling from her beside. He nudged his way past Touya to let him know he wasn't thrilled with him for the time being.

"You both sounded mad," Scarlet pointed out once Jin left. "What were you guys talking about?"

Touya sighed with frustration over the event, as he grabbed a nearby chair to pull up close to the bed Scarlet was in. "It was nothing," the ice master lied, resting his fingers against his forehead. "I take it you're still in pain considering the groaning I heard earlier?"

Scarlet grumbled at Touya's remark. "Well, you think?" Sarcasm rolled off of her tongue, as she moaned at the twinges of agony she could still feel whenever she breathed. "I was told that my blood didn't freeze over, so I was relieved of that."

"You know why, right?" Touya inquired, as he rested his forearms against his thighs. "Your defensive abilities kicked in to prevent your blood from being frozen. You have the power, and during a dire moment, it saved you from being terribly ill. It might be a harsh method to train people, but it is productive." He reached over to grab up the book he had asked Scarlet to read. "How far have you gotten?" The ice demon sped through the many pages to land upon her bookmark to find she had read further.

"I am almost to the last few chapters," Scarlet answered, watching Touya best she could out of the corner of her eye. "Do I really have to memorize everything about this temple? I have hardly been in it."

Touya smiled tenderly, as he closed the book to place back where he found it. "You were in this temple quite a few times," he whispered between them in the flickering candlelight. "When Cynthia Baker was feeling better after your birth, and her bleeding stopped, and she healed, she would bring you to my temple almost every day."

He couldn't help but remember back when Cynthia came back to his temple doors with baby Scarlet in her arms. Touya was walking around the main area of worship when he heard Cynthia talking to some of the high priestesses. Stopping in his footsteps, he turned to see the few week old Scarlet in his priestess' arms.

"She is beautiful, Cynthia," said a young, African American priestess, who was eyeing the baby. "The Ice Lord would love to see her, I wager."

"I do owe the man my life," said Cynthia, knowing that she couldn't have survived the birth without his blessings. She couldn't see the ice demon, but she knew that her 'God' saved her.

The woman turned around, feeling the chill in the air to see Touya behind her. "My Lord?" She whispered to the demon.

"Bring her daughter to my bedroom, Clara," Touya insisted to the priestess before heading in that direction himself.

Clara held onto Cynthia's shoulders to guide her towards the bedroom belonging to the ice master. "Come with me. The Ice Lord would love to see your baby." Going through the temple, she guided the woman to the door belonging to the ice demon. "Give her to me," the young African woman asked of Cynthia. "I will take her to him."

Cynthia was reluctant to hand her over, but she did so nonetheless. She watched with her hands folded before her robes as the fellow priestess made her way to Touya's bedroom.

Touya remembered there being a knock at the door before it opened. It was rare should he ever have children in the warmer months, but they were still treasured all the same. "Let me see her," Touya insisted, opening his arms to accept the baby. With the child placed in his arms, he smiled down at the infant. "My dear, child. You're a treasure within this world." He remembered holding Scarlet to see her look up at him. "You can see me, can't you? I just hope that trait remains with you."

"Cynthia mentioned when she was recovering that she wanted you to name her," Clara spoke from before the demon. "I am sure it is because she knew you saved her in that room."

Touya pressed his thumb against the baby's forehead gently to massage the skin gently. "Scarlet," he whispered to himself, thinking about the blood that Cynthia spilled just trying to give birth to that baby. "For some reason, I have a feeling it may suit her in the future." Leaning down, he placed a chilled kiss on her forehead.

"You named me…?" Scarlet asked, breaking Touya's reminiscing. "I thought my mother was the one who named me."

"No, it was me," said Touya, as he reached over to pet her gently on the head. "Clara was the one to take you back to your mother and give her the name I chose. During the time you continued to grow up, you would see me unlike your mother. However, when you hit age thirteen, you suddenly stopped seeing me." He sighed heavily having to remember that day. "I called your name when you entered the temple, but you couldn't hear my voice. Just like your mother, you shut off to me."

Scarlet could tell he was upset having to talk about that day. "Why does that happen? I would imagine if you've seen something like that, you would never forget it. I don't think I ever remember seeing you when I was growing up."

"It sadly happens, my dear," said Touya, as he fidgeted. "When humans grow up, they suddenly 'mature', or shut themselves off to the world around them. I am lucky if people around me continue to see me even when they live here."

"This world does a lot of crazy things to you," said Scarlet softly. "Is there a reason that the adults start to lose their sanity after awhile?" She witnessed as Touya gave her a confused look. "Lately I have noticed that adults are either abusive, drinkers, drug users, and a slew of other things."

"When humans drop out of reach of the demons they worship and can only see the evil things around them, they start to dive down into a never ending pool of insanity." Touya held onto Scarlet's hand tenderly to squeeze it reassuringly. "I was relieved your mother never went down that road. I could tell she was on the verge at times, but she stayed strong for your sake. Her love for you is what kept her strong." When silence plagued the air, he reached for the high priestess book. "Seeing as you're injured, I'll read this with you for the day."

Earlier I felt like I could have punched him for the wounds he gave me, but after hearing his story dealing with my mother, I felt like I could hold onto him and just cry. While I missed Jin intensely, I found reading in that horrible light with Touya put me at peace. It felt like I was five, reading with my first father again.


	38. Chapter 38

_For weeks I trained under Touya. Each time seemed more brutal than the last. I would find myself on the cold, hard floor time and time again. His shards would continue to rip through my skin and cause my blood to mar the floor. I didn't want to be special in having no powers…I wanted to be like everyone else in the town…_

Scarlet fell to the ground once more, trembling as blood emerged from her opened wounds. Coughing harshly, she struggled to get back up to her feet. Her eyes threatened to close from the exhaustion, which overtook her body from the loss of blood and the extensive training she was going through.

Touya watched her attempting to get back to her feet only to lie there on her hands and knees. "It's almost been a month and you have yet to get your powers to do anything beyond saving you from suffering from illness." Seeing Scarlet threaten to smash back down into the ground again, he marched over towards her to grab her up by the collar of her sweater to pin her against the wall. Concentrating on his powers, he created his ice sword to aim it directly at Scarlet's neck. Every time she breathed heavily, her skin would rest upon the sharp tip of the weapon he created, causing her skin to break open and bleed down his blade. "Maybe if I cut your throat you'll find it within yourself to react."

"You wouldn't dare…" Scarlet didn't want to believe any threats the demon made. Her fingers tensed all the same when she saw him look at her with his angry, narrow eyes. It almost made her pause in breathing, as his look frightened her so much.

"You don't believe that I would do such a thing, would you?" Taking the sword, he started to slowly drag it across her neck though he didn't push it in far enough to where it could seriously hurt her.

Scarlet could feel the skin breaking and the blood draining from her neck, causing her to panic in realizing he might very well kill her. "**STOP**!" She screamed, bringing up her hands to use some unknown force to push the demon away from her.

Whatever the force was, Touya found himself flying backwards against his will, only to catch himself when he dug his feet into the ground beneath him. His eyes wide, he watched as Scarlet brought up an ice barrier momentarily before she fell to her knees to hold onto the neck gash he gave her. Touya had to sadly watch it fade shortly after she knocked him back. "You did it!" He exclaimed, as he stood up. Quickly he grabbed one of the blankets nearby and lowered his ice wall before rushing towards her. "It was brief, but you did do it!" Using the towel, he wrapped it around Scarlet's shaking body before putting pressure on the cut he gave her.

"Y-You t-tried to kill me…y-you bastard…!" Scarlet stuttered, as she felt him trying to stop the bleeding.

Touya rolled his eyes at her comment, helping his priestess to her feet. "Don't cry," he remarked sarcastically. "You'll be fine." Helping her out of the room, he waved down one of his healers he saw walking by. "Take her to get cleaned up. She has a small injury on her neck, so keep pressure on the blanket when you take her."

"Yes, sir," said the middle aged male, as he guided Scarlet quickly to the infirmary. "Don't worry, miss, you'll be fine. Just continue to breathe normally."

Scarlet did as she was asked before being sat down on the table in the infirmary to have another male healer look her over. He looked to Scarlet to be in his late twenties, early thirties. She was nervous about the man checking her over. "I wouldn't think he'd go that far."

"He was just doing what he had to in order to get your powers out," said the young man. He went from examining her cut legs to the cut on her neck. "Let me see it." He watched her hesitate in removing the towel, knowing that the air would sting the wound. "Scarlet, you need to let me see it." The healer insisted, as he helped her remove the fabric slowly. He couldn't help but hiss at the sight. "Gracious," he chuckled softly, as he dabbed the clean cloth he had in warm water to be rid of the blood, which was all over her neck. "I didn't expect he'd do it that far across your neck."

"Am I going to be okay?" Scarlet asked nervously, rolling her teeth over her lower lip.

"You're fine," he insisted, continuing to dab her neck carefully. "Lord Touya only cut the first layer of skin to cause it to bleed. He didn't snag anything major when he did this." Powering up his hands, he used his abilities to soothe the pain in Scarlet's neck. "He's a ninja, and he knows where the major pressure points and vital organs are. My name is Bobby, by the way—Bobby Bower."

Scarlet nodded upon hearing his name. "It is nice to meet you." She couldn't help but hiss at just breathing. "It hurts to swallow or do anything."

"You'll be alright," Bobby insisted, as he continued to ease her aches in her body. When he exerted what power he could into her injuries, he helped Scarlet to her feet. "My powers should ease you for awhile, but the pain will come back. I suggested that you take medicine to try and keep it away." Here, he grabbed a bottle of medicine to hand over to Scarlet. "I'll tell the Ice Lord to let you rest for now. I am sure he'll understand." Bobby began writing something on his clipboard before adding something else. "I'll send Priestess Jessica to your room to heal up the injuries on your legs and back from where the ice shards got you."

Scarlet just whispered her thanks before dragging herself back to her room with the blanket around her tightly. On her way towards her room, she stopped when she thought she heard the wind whispering her name. Thinking she heard it a second time, Scarlet looked up and down the halls to see nobody in particular calling to her. Confused as to where it was coming from, she headed up a flight of stairs to try and locate the source, as it seemed to get louder and louder the closer she got to one bedroom that was covered in locks.

The sight of the locks made Scarlet numb inside. A part of her wanted to turn away and head back to her bedroom but the voice continued to beckon her. Swallowing hard, she placed her hand on the door covered in chains. "I cannot get in," she whispered against the entryway, as there were many locks she would have to find a key for. Upon her saying that, Scarlet could hear them suddenly release and fall to the floor. Nervously, Scarlet pushed open the door to make her way inside.

Entering the room, she found that it wasn't as evil as she felt it would be. There was a calming wind, which came over her in the dark room. When the door shut behind her quietly, Scarlet was a little startled, but was instantly calmed when the candles began to light one by one to illuminate the room better. She found it to look just like any other room in the temple, but there was a unique candleholder in the center of the room. It was made of finely polished glass or ice and looked like an explosion of water causing many areas for candles to rest upon the dispersed waves, which seemed to rise upwards. Each candle was lit, giving off a gentle glow.

"What is this room?" She asked herself quietly, as she knew whoever was living there, dead or alive, was being quite welcoming. Looking at the shelves, she found them void of anything in particular, as well as the desk and drawers. However, another candle suddenly lit at the nightstand near the bed to show that there was one picture there within its frame. Scarlet gazed at it from a distance and her heart nearly dropped as she recognized the people in the picture from a distance. She hurried over towards the lone picture to pick it up quickly in her shaking hands. "M-Mom…!"

The woman in the picture was of her mother, Cynthia Baker with her birth father Tray James and her as a baby in her mother's arms. Scarlet continued to hold the picture in her hands, unable to believe that she was in her mother's old bedroom. Suddenly she could feel someone touching her shoulders. Widening her eyes, she looked slightly over to her right to see that her mother's ghostly form was embracing her from behind.

"_**My sweet daughter,"**_ Cynthia whispered between them, as she held Scarlet close. _**"I've missed you so much."**_

Scarlet spun around to see her mother there in the dim lightly of the candles. She looked the same from what she could remember from pictures she had in her house and the photo album. "Mom, it is actually you!" Scarlet reached out to try and embrace her mother only to find her arms went right through the misty figure of her mom. "M-Mamma…?" She felt her heart breaking at not being able to hold her at the very least.

"_**I am sorry, Scarlet,"**_ Cynthia sighed sorrowfully as well, placing her hand upon her daughter's shoulder. _**"I cannot touch you unless you are asleep. That's just the way the spirit and physical worlds work."**_

Resting on the bed, which had been empty for years, Scarlet put the picture back down where she found it. "You never came to see me when dad was abusing me for years after you were gone…why did you leave me like this?" She could feel tears streaming down her cheeks, unable to believe her mother was showing to her now.

"_**I couldn't stand to see you hurt yourself so much,"**_ Cynthia answered honestly, folding her hands in front of the white dress she was wearing. _**"It is never within any mothers' desires to see their own children slowly fall. I am sorry, Scarlet."**_ She looked away from her child, a bit ashamed to look at her. _**"While I missed you dearly, I couldn't handle the thought of you possibly joining me."**_

Biting her lower lip, Scarlet let out a brief, heartbreaking sob. "I do miss you, mom."

"_**I miss you too, and I love you."**_ Cynthia could tell that it was becoming more and more difficult for her to stay in the form she was within. _**"I have to go back to Makai. You are free to come here anytime you need to, Scarlet."**_ Leaning in close to her daughter, she placed a kiss on Scarlet's cheek before fading back into the darkness.

Scarlet bit her lower lip before embracing herself tightly when her body trembled in sadness. Hearing the door open, she looked over to find the ice master there. "Hi, Touya," she said trying to straighten herself up and not look so depressed over what she had just witnessed. "I am sorry; I didn't mean to come in here."

Touya smiled briefly as he entered the room, closing the door behind him quietly. "The only reason this room was chained was so nobody would feel compelled to come here. Your mother still uses it as her own, even in the afterlife. I just didn't have it in me to move her elsewhere." He walked over towards Scarlet to join her on the bed. Touya could tell that she was upset over the meeting with her mom. Gazing about the dimly lit room, he noticed the candleholder in the center of the room with a brief chuckle at it. "I actually made that for your mother when she was growing up."

"Really?" Scarlet asked in a shaky tone with a few sniffles to try and clear her sinuses.

"When she was little, she used to watch me in my garden all the time, as I made things with my ice," Touya explained. "I'll never forget how her face would light up at watching me every winter. So, on her sixteenth birthday, I gave her this room, and I let her watch me make that candleholder. She was so excited and so happy." Pushing himself up from beside Scarlet, he made it over to the sculpted candleholder to touch it. "She was a great woman…"

Scarlet noticed that his voice trailed off when he said that. Her mouth slightly open in a soft gasp, she noticed what he was hinting unwillingly. "You loved my mom…"

"I didn't say I did," Touya defended quickly, glad that his blush was hidden in the darkness.

"You didn't have to say it!" Scarlet insisted from where she was sitting. "Your tone implied it."

Sighing heavily, Touya knew he wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise even if it was true. "Yes, when you raise a child that is not yours, you tend to fall in love with them. Your mother was special to me, and I reminded her of that day in and day out." He tapped his fingers upon the gift he gave Cynthia beside him, finding difficulty in forming the next few words he wanted to. "When she turned eighteen, she met your first father, Tray James. She met him on the year I was supposed to be the one to perform the Light Enveloping Darkness rite on her. When she met Tray, she wanted him to be the man to keep her safe from Virgin Hunters, so I allowed it. It was difficult for me to accept, but I permitted her to do as she pleased." He paused, looking at Scarlet through the candlelight. "It was what any father would have done to the child they loved—even if that 'father' loved their daughter more than they should have." Sighing heavily, he made his way back over towards the young woman to join her upon the bed once more. "After the two wed, Cynthia…could no longer see me. And in a matter of a few short years, believed that I was just some God like everyone else."

"You told me before that she never knew," Scarlet recalled. "You told me that she never knew who you were and who raised her."

"I didn't want you to know what I thought about your mother," Touya said plainly, as he gazed off at nothing in particular in the room. "I thought you might be defensive over the thought that I could possibly ever be your father should things have gone differently." He was hesitant to continue speaking, but he did so regardless. "And that I thought…Tray didn't deserve your mother."

Scarlet wasn't sure what to say about that comment, as she didn't get the chance to spend as much time as she wanted with her birth father. "Did…did my mother ever know how you felt about her?"

"I told her when I got her spirit to my temple safely," Touya explained, eyeing Scarlet once more. "I told her how much I loved her, but she merely acknowledged my feelings. She expressed that, sadly, she still loved Tray, and that wasn't going to change."

Not sure what to say, Scarlet rested her forehead against the ice master's nearest shoulder. She was tired from her emotional outburst over seeing Cynthia in her misty form. "I am so exhausted," she whispered.

Touya picked up Scarlet within his arms to help her out of the room, so he could relock the door with a simple wave of his hand. "I'll take you to your bedroom. I'd allow you with your mother, but I think she likes to be alone for the time being. I'll talk to her about it later," he whispered to her, as he headed down the stairs.

**(XX)**

Scarlet lied on her back, finding herself unable to stop thinking about Touya's confessions dealing with his feelings involving her mother. She had napped off her exhaustion earlier, but it was short lived. Sighing, she banged her hands upon the mattress below her. "Dammit, go to sleep, Scarlet," she mumbled to herself. No matter how much she tried to, Scarlet just couldn't close her eyes and sleep. The words Touya spared her just kept replaying in her head. Bringing her hand, which had the wind design upon it, up to her face, Scarlet couldn't help but think about Jin again. She ran her fingers over the design with a soft sigh. "Jin, I really hope you won't be too late to tell me how you feel…" Closing her eyes finally, Scarlet managed to drift off to sleep when fatigue overcame her soon enough.

She didn't notice someone was in her bedroom at that moment. In the dim lighting of the room, Jin was watching Scarlet from just behind the pillar in the center of her room. Sighing heavily, he made his way over towards her to kneel beside the bed. He put his hand into Scarlet's while resting his chin and other arm upon the empty space not too far from where her face was resting. "I am so sorry, Scarlet," he whispered softly, so as not to wake her right away. "I am so, so sorry…"

"You really shouldn't come here every time she cries for you," Touya expressed from the door. He was leaning against the closed door with his arms crossed, appearing unimpressed by Jin's display of emotions.

Jin frowned at his friend's words to him. "You would do the same thing, boyo. I don't want to hear it from you now," he growled in his Irish accent. When he looked back at Scarlet, he noticed the bandages on her neck. "What did you do to her?" He demanded to know, as he pulled his hand from Scarlet's.

"I threatened her if she didn't unleash her powers," Touya answered with a shrug of his shoulders like it was nothing. "I cannot say it wasn't productive."

Furious with his friend, he removed himself from Scarlet's bedside to charge at the ice demon and pin him against the wall. "I don't care what she says or what you think! I want her to stop with the training! I want the training to stop now!" He demanded angrily through his teeth.

Touya sighed irritably at Jin's attitude. Since he wanted to be put back down on his feet, he reached his hand up to focus his ice powers against the demon's flesh to cause the redhead to back away from him upon the freezer burn really getting to him. "That is not for you to decide," the ice demon insisted, as he pocketed his hands. "If she wants her powers to come out, then I will help her!"

"You can't keep doing this to her!" Jin insisted, baring his teeth angrily. "She doesn't have it within her to reach the potential you want her to reach!"

"You think so?" Touya looked over at Scarlet in the blue candlelight. He seemed to be concocting something within his mind, as he looked over the young woman. "How about you come with me to train her then? Tomorrow I will be training her more, and you can come and watch over it all. How does that sound?" Before Jin could answer, Touya raised his finger to the redhead. "However, you cannot say anything about how I train her, okay?"

"Fine," Jin grumbled, nodding in agreement to the ice master. "I will watch, but if one thing goes wrong, I swear I won't hesitate to do something about it."

"Whatever you say," Touya said with a roll of his shoulders. "I'll be training her at seven in the morning." With that said, he turned away from Jin and headed out of the room to leave the two alone.

Jin shook his head angrily before making it back over to Scarlet's bedside. Kneeling back beside it, he rested his forehead against the young woman's while holding her hand once more. "I won't let him continue to do this. I don't care what it takes."

* * *

Needless to say, when Scarlet was getting ready to take on Touya's training the next day, she found herself a bit shocked to walk into the room to find both Jin and Touya there. "What…what is going on here?" Scarlet asked, as she looked between the two. "Jin, what are you doing here?"

"Seeing as Jin doesn't like the way he finds you in pain almost every night after I train you, I allowed him here to watch," explained Touya, as he walked away from Scarlet, so he could put some distance between them. "But don't get too excited, because he won't be here to rescue you from anything I throw at you."

"Jin, why are you here!" Scarlet demanded to know between them. She had to admit that with the redhead there to witness her training, it made her a bit nervous.

"I am here to watch and tell you how crazy you are!" Jin answered, pointing to himself before crossing his arms over his chest.

"You two can squabble all you like, but regardless of when you do so—," Touya began to power up his ice barrier to envelop the room about him, making Scarlet tremble from the freezing air. "—I am going to get the lesson started, as I don't have time to do this all day." Powering up his favorite attack in the palm of his hands, he concentrated on making the ground beneath Scarlet come alive and freeze her legs in place up to her knees. "Seeing as I cannot have you jumping around to avoid my attack, I will keep you in place."

Scarlet felt her heart race, as she tried to escape from where she was frozen only to find it would be painful just to try and do so. "You cannot keep me in one place! That isn't fair!"

"Nothing in life is fair, dear child," Touya chuckled dryly, as he blew her his own kiss of death upon her.

Jin watched horrifically as the ice shards sliced through Scarlet's body again to tear apart her clothing and skin to spry blood almost everywhere on the ground. His eyes wide, he growled at the ice demon who was attacking his only servant. "Stop this, Touya!" The wind master demanded with his hands turned into fists.

"Not until I see what I want," Touya said, showing no emotion by everything that was happening. After firing at her a bit more, he found Scarlet just standing there and taking the hits. "Defend back!" He yelled finally. "Or do I have to threaten to cut your head off?" Taking in a deep breath, the ice master knew what he had to do at that moment. Lowering his hands, he pulled a throwing star from his pocket; Touya tossed the weapon directly at Scarlet's chest.

Scarlet's eyes widened when she saw the weapon heading towards her. Her breath hitched when she felt it embed within her chest where her heart was located. Not able to find words, she opened her mouth to speak only to find blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

"**SCARLET**!" Jin yelled, as the ice wall came down to allow the young woman to fall to the ground. The wind demon hurried over towards the blooded body of his servant. "Scarlet…! Scarlet!" He continued to call, shaking her body in hopes of her moving. Angry and with tears in his eyes, he turned to his friend. "Touya, what have you done!"

Touya looked paler than usual, as he saw Scarlet lying in Jin's arms. When the wind master was about to reach for the throwing star, he grabbed onto the demon's wrist. "Don't! If it pierced her heart, you'll kill her instantly!" Running to the door, he opened it to call for anybody that was nearby before kneeling beside the two. "She's going to be okay. I promise."

"If she's not going to make it, I will kill you myself, Touya!" Jin threatened through his tears.

**(XX)**

Scarlet was sent to intensive care within the temple. Jin waited nervously outside of the room with his head in his hands. When he heard the door open, he looked up eagerly to see Touya coming out of the room. He shot to his feet eagerly. "How is she? Is she okay?" Jin asked, making it over towards Touya.

"Well, she survived the surgery," Touya explained calmly. "The throwing star was removed from her chest, and her vitals are stable. All we can do is wait it out for awhile."

"I want to see her," Jin insisted right away.

"Jin, I don't know if that's a good—."

"I want to see her!" Roared the wind demon angrily, not wanting to take 'no' for an answer.

Touya sighed, shaking his head as he gazed up at the redhead. "Fine. Come with me." He motioned Jin to follow him back into the room. Inside, Scarlet was out cold on a hospital bed while the machines made sure she was okay. "Just don't stay long. She needs to rest."

"I won't," he said before making it further into the room to see Scarlet in an intense situation. Jin took the seat next to the hospital bed, reaching for the young woman's hand to hold it within his own. "Scarlet, I am sorry. I am so sorry," he whispered, bringing her hand up to his mouth to kiss it tenderly. "If I knew Touya was going to do that, I would have stepped in. I shouldn't have agreed to just stand there and watch. I didn't know he'd do this." Seeing her unresponsive, he reached over to stroke her on the head lovingly. "I am also sorry I have been so hardheaded lately. Everyone tells me that I have my moments." He chuckled lightly at the comment before frowning sorrowfully again. Leaning in to kiss her on the lips, he closed his eyes while resting his forehead against hers. "I love you, Scarlet. Please come back to me," Jin whispered between them, finding it within himself to bring down his borders.

Scarlet's fingers twitched slightly before she managed to open her eyes. Seeing the wind master leaning over her, she smiled up at him. "What…what did you say…Jin…?" She asked wearily.

Jin moved in to kiss Scarlet lovingly once more. "I said I love you, Scarlet. I don't think I could handle the thought of losing you and not being able to tell you."

Touya listened to the two from the opposite side of the door, which he had slightly cracked. Realizing that what he had set out to do was accomplished, he smiled sincerely at the scene within the darkness shrouding him in the hallway. Opening the door, he introduced himself with a clearing of his throat. "Jin, you need to let her rest."

Jin nodded at Touya's suggestion before turning back to Scarlet. "Just sleep," he whispered, stroking her head. "I will see you later, lassie." Removing himself from the seat he was upon, he moved back outside into the hallway with a relieved sigh.

"Well," Touya began, "it took drastic measures, but it is about time you spoke up and said _**something**_ to her."

Hearing his friend say such a thing, Jin's eyes widened. He paused in his steps and turned around to look over at Touya. "What…what are you talking about? You planned this?"

"You insult me, Jin," Touya chuckled, thumbing over his shoulder at the hospital room. "Do you seriously think I'd throw that item at her with the intent to kill her? I threw the star with enough precision to avoid injuring her heart, though it sank far enough in to give you the kick in the head you needed to say the three words you've neglected to say for many years now. I knew if I didn't do something drastic, you'd continue to pussyfoot around your feelings for her."

"You did this just so I could say 'I love you'?" Jin asked a bit confused by what the ice demon felt he needed to do. "Why-why in the world would you do that!"

Touya looked back at the door Scarlet was behind before eyeing Jin with a heavy sigh through his nostrils. "Because…a father will do whatever it takes to make sure their children are happy. I also want to make sure you don't make the same mistake I did years ago in telling the one you love that you love them after it is too late." He patted Jin on the back. "She'll be fine. I made sure of that when I was in there. Just take care of her." With that said, the ice master headed back about his temple.


	39. Chapter 39

_**Author's Notes**_: The poem in this chapter was made by me, so no stealing it please. D: It is a very personal poem I wrote months ago.

God, no sleep…only slept…3 hours…and then I heard trees crashing in my yard. X-X Stupid lumber people!

**Also, sex scene removed further down. Unedited is on MediaMiner. You know the drill. Haha**

* * *

_Jin had gotten better with his words to me. He didn't feel like holding his feelings inwards anymore when it came to me. The things he would be worried about others seeing, he did openly from then on. It was a nice feeling. It made me feel like I actually had someone who loved me for me._

_For six months, as planned, I stayed with Touya and worked on my defensive skills. However, once the time was up and they were unable to come about fully as planned, Jin demanded the training was to conclude on that note. I was disappointed, but I had a feeling he just wanted me to remain without powers of any kind, so I could be a weak, helpless woman he could watch over._

Scarlet finished the last servant girl book she could find in the Wind Temple's library. Closing the book, she put it off to the side on the library table she was reading at. She understood the just of what she had to do, but everything about past servants unnerved her until towards the very end where she saw the demons weren't as malicious. With her eyes getting so tired, Scarlet rubbed them with her palms to try and get them to focus better off of the written word she was reading. Feeling a warm touch scrolling down her arms, she pulled her hands from her face to smile at the redhead, who was behind her.

"Do you realize what time it is?" Jin whispered to her with a throaty chuckle. He rested his cheek against hers, looking down at the books she had scattered about.

Just feeling the warmth of his breath on her skin was reassuring. After being six months without him there every day made Scarlet sick to her stomach; especially after his three words spared to her when she was in the emergency care room back at the Ice Temple. "I know, and I am sorry," she responded, turning her head to kiss him on the cheek lovingly. "I just wanted to get all of this done for the night. I couldn't put the books down."

"You're quite the reader, lass," the wind master pointed out, as he pulled the chair she was in away from the table, so he could help her to her feet. "However, I have another assignment for you." Holding her body closer to his, he bent down to kiss her lovingly on the lips with his hands roaming up and down her back.

Knowing what he was up to, Scarlet pulled away from the kiss with a raise of her brow. "Not right now and, certainly, not right here," she insisted with a soft giggle.

"You humans are no fun, I swear," Jin pouted jokingly. He watched as Scarlet picked up all the books she had on the table to place back where the woman found them. "However, I do have plans for this evening, if you don't mind joining me."

"Is that so?" Scarlet asked, as she examined each book to remind herself where they were in the huge library. "And where exactly will you be taking me in this thick fog when it is dark out? I thought I wasn't allowed outside of the temple after seven?" It was a rule of the town that curfew for everyone was seven at night. This never changed no matter what.

"You forget that you're with me," Jin pointed out, as he lifted himself up on his wind powers to float beside the young woman. "Besides, we have been exterminating a few things here and there when it came to the outbreak Silvia caused a year or so ago." When he saw Scarlet about to decline the offer, he moved in front of her to stop her from continuing about the library. "Come on; don't be that way! I think you might like a moment out."

Scarlet had been locked within the temples for some time. All she could do day in and day out was study, write, and perform special tasks for Jin. She would, at the beginning of every month, head to the Ice Temple for a week and stay there to study under the ice master and spend time with her mother before returning back to the Wind Temple. It had her going back and forth from temple to temple just to keep up with everything. She also had the part-time job at the bookstore, leaving her with little time to think about relaxing. "I do suppose whatever you have planned would be nice."

"I have a feeling you'll like this!" Jin insisted, grabbing onto her wrists gently once she put up the last book. Hurrying through the halls, the demon escorted her outside into the chill of winter that December. Before he left the temple, he was quick to pick up a basket he had waiting near the doors before picking Scarlet up into his arms to take flight to the sky. "Hold on!" He encouraged with a bright laugh.

Wrapping her arms tightly about the wind demon's neck, she buried her face briefly into Jin's chest. Scarlet had a hard time adjusting to the times the wind master would just take flight with her in his embrace. Her bi-colored hair tossing about in the wild currents the demon caused, she looked ahead to watch as the houses and streets passed underneath them at a fast pace. "It must be great to be a wind master!" Scarlet exclaimed over the wind currents.

"You can fly too!" Jin insisted back to the excited woman. When Scarlet looked at him confusingly, the redhead released the woman from his arms before flipping backwards to soar quickly after her falling body to grab her under the arms while continuing flying.

Scarlet had her eyes closed when she thought she was going to crash into the ground below them. Feeling herself going back up into the sky, she slowly opened one eye to find the ground still speeding about underneath her. Knowing that Jin still hold of her, she looked up at the redhead with a bright smile.

"Open your arms," urged Jin, as he kept a firm hold of her underneath her arms.

Doing as the wind master suggested, Scarlet closed her eyes and spread open her arms. Reopening her eyes again moments later, she laughed excitedly. "I _**am**_ flying!"

Jin smiled sincerely and lovingly down at Scarlet, as he headed to the west. With an empty spot coming into view, he lowered the young woman down to her feet before finding his own nearby her. It was an area surrounded by nothing but barren trees and fog about the area. Being it was late at night, it was admittedly, a little eerie. Opening up the basket he had in his possession, Jin pulled out a large blanket, which he sprawled out over the grass. "Sit down, won't you?" He insisted, opening his hand to help Scarlet do such a thing.

Scarlet accepted his hand before sitting down on the blanket. "What exactly do you have in mind out here in the dead of winter?" She couldn't help but chuckle at him wanting to be outside in the cold chill that evening.

Jin sat down upon the blue blanket with her to hunt into the basket for more things he had brought with him. He pulled out a few cupcakes, which he had sealed away in a delicate package. "Razz and the other priestesses cooked a few delicious goodies that I couldn't think of eating by myself," Jin enticed, waving them in front of Scarlet. He was still trying to get the woman to gain a bit more weight even if she was considered at a reasonable weight for one her size and age. "Care to have some?"

Rolling her eyes, Scarlet reached for one of the cupcakes, knowing she couldn't resist tempting goodies in front of her. "You're impossible. You can try and try, but you're not going to get me to be overweight for your liking."

"I can still try," Jin insisted with a light chuckle, taking one with chocolate frosting for himself. "But, well, I remember you telling me once that December was your favorite month, even if it gets cold. Seeing as you're a bit used to the cold from the Ice Temple, I didn't think it would be too bad tonight."

"Yeah, December is my favorite month considering all of the Christmas decorations and all of that," Scarlet admitted, as she finished the cupcake she was on. "I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday."

"I think everyone has a like for it, lassie," Jin admitted, as he pulled out his flute he often played upon when he was alone.

"Yeah, but I don't like the day of Christmas a lot," Scarlet said with a brief shrug, as she moved in closer to the redhead. "The day always signals the sad end to what a beautiful holiday we build up to."

Jin smiled at Scarlet with his blue eyes alone, as he thought back on how difficult it was for him to confess his feelings towards her. "You know, the main reason I had such a hard time telling you that I loved you was because I didn't want to think I was replacing the wonderful servants I had in the past." He looked away from Scarlet, hating to admit that aloud. "I remember when I would play my flute in the Cleansing Room, and they would rest all around me just to listen." Holding the flute tightly, he brought it close to his chest sorrowfully. "Stephanie was always into writing poetry, so whenever she heard me play a random melody, she would write down lyrics to it and teach the other servants to sing her song." He smiled, remembering that moment. "So, whenever I played the melody again, the others would sing the words she created to go with it." Jin chuckled to himself, thinking back on when music was a big thing to Kurama, Touya, and himself. "Back when Touya got into playing the violin and Kurama learned the piano, we used to teach people to sing and dance to our songs. You do know Touya will dance while he plays the violin, eh?"

Scarlet giggled at the thought, unable to picture that. "I am afraid I didn't know that." She brought her knees close to her chest to rest her cheek upon them while eyeing Jin and listening to his story still.

"He doesn't like to be caught dancing while he plays, but he will do it. He is a very good dancer, that boyo," Jin admitted, as he remembered the times he would catch his friend dancing to his own melody. "He kind of bows and sways about with his eyes closed while working on his garden with a simple wave of his hands. He is pretty good. If you ever get the chance to catch him in the act, let me know." Jin reached into his pocket to pull out an old slip of paper that must have been several years old given the wrinkled appearance of it. "This was a song that Stephanie wrote for me."

Taking the old piece of paper, Scarlet read the lyrics with a raise of her brow. "This has Irish slang in it. Was she Irish?"

"Aye," Jin chuckled, blowing a simple tune into his flute to get warmed up. "I raised her, so my 'speech' rubbed off on the lass." He smiled at Scarlet. "You know, I've heard you hum to yourself when you're alone." Jin caught the blush on Scarlet's face when he mentioned it to her. "You have a very good voice, lass. Why not use it, eh?"

"Because I get stage fright and performance anxiety rather easily," Scarlet admitted, looking the words over on the paper. "If you're asking me to sing this, I don't even know how it goes."

Jin straightened up his shoulders, bringing the flute closer to his mouth. "This is how it goes—the melody anyways." Closing his eyes, he began to focus on the song he hadn't played in years.

Scarlet watched as he moved his head slightly from side to side while moving his fingers appropriately to hit the right notes for the song. She had to admit that it sounded rather lovely. Looking back at the words on the paper, she cleared her throat and tried humming along with the song Jin was playing before closing her eyes to try and muster up the courage to actually sing the words in front of someone.

_When the Green Isle_  
_She no longer be green_  
_And the wind is as dry_  
_As the desert sea_

_And you feel the pain_  
_Tis a scar to your heart_  
_I'll be your bonny shield_  
_And we shall never part_

_It can be as heavy as a rock_  
_The feel of your pain, an' sorrow_  
_But I will take you away_  
_If just for one day_  
_On the rivers of love come 'morrow_

_If there is no drop_  
_In the pint you have_  
_And the sun nare shine_  
_Where you currently stand_

_Gaze into me eyes_  
_That are filled for love_  
_Gran' as the Isle tis wide_  
_Vast as the sky above_

_My love will spread wide an' far_  
_To chase away your pain, an' sorrow_  
_And I will take you away_  
_If just for one day_  
_On the rivers of love come 'morrow_

Jin listened to Scarlet get a bit bolder the more she continued with the song. The more he focused on the melody, the more the song came alive—literally. The mist within the flute began to form a scene as Jin played it. Opening his eyes, he watched as the mist formed the picture he was thinking about earlier with his worshippers singing around him as he played in the past. Even if it was a painful reminder of events long gone, he continued playing just to keep the moment in the mist going. Holding the last note for a while, he finally found his stopping point to sit and watch the mist play out his past before dissipating into the night.

Scarlet opened her eyes as well when she stopped singing to see Jin was staring at the image the mist had painted, dealing with his inward emotions. Swallowing hard, she looked over at the redhead to shake him gently. "Hey, are you okay?"

Breaking from what was once in front of him, Jin smiled reassuringly down at Scarlet. "I will be fine." Moving in closer to the young servant woman, he kissed her on the cheek before pulling back to gaze within her gray-green eyes. Seeing a snowflake flutter down from the sky in front of him, Jin pulled his attention from Scarlet to look up at the sky with a bright smile. "Look…!"

"It's snowing!" Scarlet exclaimed between them, watching more of the snow come down from above.

"Touya must be practicing his violin and making it snow," Jin pointed out, as he got to his feet to open his hands to the falling flurries. "Sometimes, when he is lost in thought and thinking about something that makes him happy, he doesn't realize he's doing that."

Scarlet was quiet for a moment, thinking on the time of day it was. "It is December tenth, isn't it?" She inquired before hearing the confirmation from Jin. "Today is my mom's birthday." Thinking about her mother and Touya, she couldn't help but brightly smile. Inside, she felt all the things the ice master did to show his love for her mother was romantic even if the feelings would never be returned to him.

Jin closed his eyes and grinned at having her say that. "He must be playing for her." Moving closer to Scarlet, he kissed her lovingly on the lips while holding her close to himself in the chilly air.

Back at the Ice Temple, Touya was outside in his ice garden playing his violin as expected by the others miles away from him. His eyes closed, so he could concentrate on each note he hit, he vigorously moved the bow across the strings. Knowing that he was alone at that hour of the night, he began to bend his knees slightly and move his feet and body about in a graceful manner to his song he was playing. Spinning around, he caught himself with his right heel before bowing slightly with his knees bent once more to turn himself around in the other direction continuing to strike the strings accordingly.

When he struck the last cord, he removed the bow from the strings and halted in his dancing. Opening his eyes, Touya looked to the sky to see that it was indeed snowing no thanks to his enjoyment in playing. Feeling there was someone nearby, the ice master turned his head to find Cynthia's spirit nearby listening to him. Lowering his instrument, Touya smiled at the spirit he could see. "Happy birthday, Cynthia," he whispered to the woman. Walking over towards her, the ice master knelt down on one knee to strike up another soft melody for her.

Once back at the temple, Jin escorted Scarlet to his bedroom where he took care in undressing her himself. He removed the strapless top Scarlet was wearing by unzipping it from the back slowly. The white fabric falling to his hands, which he had resting upon the woman's upper arms, Jin held it there, as he kissed Scarlet lovingly upon her trembling mouth. When he let the servant attire fall away, he hesitantly reached for the elbow length gloves he allowed her to wear seeing as he knew how insecure she was when it came to the many scars and burns she had on her forearms. Jin saw how nervous she was about having those removed, as usual. "I have already seen them," he reminded her.

"I know, but I hate to have you to," Scarlet admitted, as she held onto Jin's arms tightly in a resistant way to have her gloves removed. "I know it wasn't a smart thing to do back then, but it was the only thing I could do to get my emotions out. I look like a monster."

Jin grabbed onto the edge of the white fabric and pulled it away from her elbow slowly to watch Scarlet react like he was tearing off a band-aid. When he pulled it back far enough to expose her scarred skin, the wind master brought her left arm up to rest a kiss upon her damaged skin. "I think you're beautiful," he responded honestly. Removing the rest of the gloves, he guided Scarlet down to his bed while placing a few tender kisses upon her cheek before trailing them down to her neck.

"You kiss me differently," Scarlet pointed out, as she moved some of the redhead's hair away from his face, so she could see him clearer. "Your kisses actually feel like they mean something unlike before."

"Because before I was hiding my feelings," Jin chuckled, as he nuzzled against Scarlet's cheek. "I was trying to energy feed off of you when I got the chance. Now everything I do is because I love you." He smiled to himself, feeling joy in his heart for the first time in a long while at being able to admit that again. "Just relax," he whispered, as he trailed his hand down her body.

(**Edited**)

Jin kissed Scarlet's warm cheek before helping her off of him. Helping her lie beside him, he brought the young woman closer to his chest, so Jin could rest his chin upon her head. "I love you, Scarlet."

"I love you too, Jin," Scarlet responded quietly, as she felt herself wanting to just lie there and go to sleep for the night. Closing her eyes, she planted one last kiss on his chest. "I am so tired."

Jin smiled, as he moved the covers of his bed up and over them. "Goodnight, Scarlet. Sleep well." Closing his eyes as well, the wind demon fell asleep shortly after her.

**(XX)**

_The months passed by a lot quicker, it seemed. The winter came and gone in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, Jin wanted to talk to me about my twenty-seventh birthday the next year._

_I guess time passes rather fast when you find yourself caught up in love's flow._

"I don't know why you cannot just give him a clue," said Justin, as he straightened up the Worshipping Hall. "Jin has been going crazy for months just trying to plan something nice for you. You know it isn't wise to mess with his tiny brain."

"Why does everyone think I want something big and extravagant? May second has always been just a normal day for me," Scarlet admitted, as she hopped off of a pillow Justin wanted to fluff and situate properly. "I have everything that I've wanted ever since my mother passed when I was sixteen. I am happy with nothing on my birthday."

"Jin's not going to accept that," Justin said with a lighthearted laugh. He waved for Scarlet to follow, as he was heading for the Cleansing Room where the wind master was currently. "Whenever his servants had birthdays, he'd go to the moon and back for them. Did he ever tell you what he actually got one of his servants?"

"No," Scarlet said, a bit curious as to what that was.

Justin stopped in his tracks to turn around and meet eye to eye with the woman. "Servant Trevor was one of those feminine guys Jin adored. Well, Trevor had a fixation with the stars. Even when the fog was thick at night, he would insist on going out every night to look at them for hours until he fell asleep in Jin's arms." Justin continued onwards to his destination. "Well, anyways, fast forward to Trevor's birthday. Jin asked what Trevor wanted. He told the man he could have anything he wanted. Do you know what he asked for?"

Scarlet leaned in a bit, eager to know what it was. "No, what?"

"A star," Justin answered, his voice filled with 'awe' at even having to remember that story being told to him. "He wanted a star from the sky." The high priest began walking backwards, as he continued his story. "So you know what Jin did? When Trevor was asleep, he went into the sky and pulled a star from the heavens."

"That's impossible!" Scarlet insisted with a playful grin at Justin. "You're pulling my leg. He couldn't possibly fly far enough into outer space to grab a star!"

"That's what people still talk about to this day," the priest said, willing to believe it was true. "Some say he made a deal with someone from the Spirit World, and they gave him the star. Trevor kept that star with him till the day he was killed. The moment his soul passed, the star blinked out of existence."

Scarlet thought that the action was admirable and charming. She couldn't help but be curious about what the others got. "What did he get his other servants?"

"For Servant Stephanie, he got her an audience with Lord Kurama. She had a thing for that demon, and so badly did she want to sing for him. So Jin played his flute while she sang for the fox demon. For Servant Lola, he danced with her. She used to talk about how she never got the chance to have a father, daughter dance with her father, as he was killed by unknown means when she was seven. So Jin went out and bought an expensive dress for her to wear while he danced for hours with her to Lola's favorite song. For Servant Pat, Jin showed him the world, as he wanted to know there was more to this world than just Wind Knoll. For Servant Penelope, he risked going to Japan in the physical world to bring back the kimono that she talked about owning ever since she was twelve. He had it handmade right down to the last detail." Justin couldn't help but smirk at Scarlet's shocked expression. "And this was just for their sixteenth birthdays. He did all kinds of things until the day they were murdered."

"He really did love them a lot, didn't he?" Scarlet couldn't help but feel a bit horrible for the wind master not having the old servants he still thought about on occasion.

"All of the demons do," Justin chuckled lightly. "One of my friends is Hiei's servant at the Fire Temple. For her sixteenth birthday, Hiei crafted with his fire a life-sized, and I do mean life-sized, dragon in her bedroom. She has a thing for dragons, and knowing that none exist, he did his best to make one come to life. At night, the dragon can be said to almost be breathing and smoke can surface from its mouth and nose, she told me."

"Wow, that is insane!" She exclaimed, as they finally came upon the Cleansing Room door. When the doors were opened and revealed Jin talking and playing with the other young worshippers, which could see him, Scarlet couldn't help but smile at the scene with a shake of her head. "All of those are such sweet gifts, but I don't think there is anything I want that he can grant."

"Well, he cannot give you back your parents, no," Justin admitted, believing that was what Scarlet was thinking about. "But, I would say think about it. You know he'll bend over backwards just to get whatever it is you desire."

Scarlet was conflicted in what to tell the wind master she wanted. There were many selfish gifts she desired, but some of them didn't look plausible to her. Taking in a deep breath, she stepped inside of the room to head towards the wind master who was talking to a bunch of kids and teens. "Hey, Jin," she called, standing nearby to allow him to continue his conversation with those around him.

"Hello, Scarlet," Jin responded with a wave before turning back to the kids in front of him. "Do you mind if I spend some time with Scarlet for awhile?" With most of the kids agreeing, he saw one young female looking rather pouty at the notion. Reaching out, he grabbed her with a playful growl to get her to giggle. "Don't be like that, Trysta! You know you're still my girl, aye?" The young girl turning around to kiss him on the nose, Jin wiggled his brow and ears with a toothy grin before letting the girl leave his embrace. Turning to Scarlet, he opened his hands to guide her to the empty space beside him on the bench. "So, have you thought about what you wanted for your birthday tomorrow?"

"Jin, I heard from Justin everything that you did for your past servants," Scarlet sighed with a smile, holding onto his hand tightly. "And I have to admit, that it is beyond sweet, but I am afraid that what I want you won't be able to offer to me."

Jin's blue eyes darted about, as he was confused. "Why do you say that? I can get you anything you want."

"But what I'd want is to be bound to you forever, and that is selfish of me to ask that," said Scarlet honestly.

"You _**are**_ bound to me forever," Jin insisted with a raise of his brow, wondering where this was going.

"I know, but I would really like to experience a wedding more than anything, and I know that is against your beliefs." She was aware that Jin didn't like to hold anybody above the others, even if the things he did for his servants insinuated he cared for them the most. "But beyond that, Jin, I believe I have everything I ever wanted right here. Don't worry about any special gift."

_I could tell Jin didn't want to accept that after I confessed my feelings, but I could also see that he was struggling with the beliefs he brought his temple up on. I just felt that I needed to tell him what I felt. If I didn't, I was worried Justin was right and his mind would explode._


	40. Chapter 40

_**Author's Notes**_: Christ, haha, I really need to move this story along, or I am going to have you people reading 150 chapters. Let's see if I can make progress.

* * *

Jin was a good bit puzzled on how to carry out the one request Scarlet had given to him. Sighing heavily, he remained on top of his temple to gaze up at the stars in the foggy sky. Never had he considered marriage to any of his worshippers. He hated the thought of holding one in higher regard than another, and marrying Scarlet would mean announcing that in front of everyone. "Ugh, what am I going to do?" Jin grumbled to himself, as he lied back on the roof of the Wind Temple.

The redheaded fox demon was passing through the town to make sure his barrier was in order before sensing a familiar energy signature nearby. Turning his head to the roof of the Wind Temple, Kurama smiled, as he released his hands from his pockets to cup them about his mouth, so his voice would carry to the wind demon's ears. "Having trouble sleeping tonight, Jin?"

Hearing his name, Jin sat upright on the temple roof with his legs crossed before him. He witnessed as Kurama used his energy and abilities to join him in a blink of an eye. "What are you doing away from your temple? I haven't known you to travel about at this hour."

Kurama shrugged, as he re-pocketed his hands while gazing about the fog-covered town. "I just felt like getting out and walking about alone for the night." He turned his focus back upon Jin with a nod. "So what about yourself? You appear troubled."

"I have a problem," Jin admitted, as he fidgeted.

"Oh?" Kurama pried with a raise of his brow. "And what might this problem be?" He made his way over towards where Jin was sitting to join him from where he was currently standing upon a statue of the 'holy wind demon'.

"The one servant that is baptized under me at the moment, well, her birthday is coming up," Jin explained. He sighed, resting his knuckles against the side of his head to think. "I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and her response was that she wanted to be married to me." Jin watched as Kurama nodded to understand instantly where his predicament was coming from. "And I do love her like the other servants I have had in the past, but I don't know if I could go this far."

"It sounds like you've been through a lot with this one, of course," Kurama pointed out, as he brought his legs close to his chest. "This is just what I get, anyways, when I hear you speak about her."

Jin sighed with a grin hidden upon his face underneath the cloak of darkness. The wind caressed his wild, red bangs, as he thought about the times he shared with Scarlet. "Aye, I have been through a bit with her." He looked over at the fellow redhead to see Kurama leaning in slightly, as if he wanted to hear more. "What?" Jin asked with a chuckle.

"I don't think I have anywhere important to be at this very moment," Kurama pointed out, as he waved his knees from side to side. "Details?" He was trying to encourage the notion out of the wind master.

"If you insist," Jin chuckled, as he looked back up at the sky. "Well, she was my first servant in years for one thing, but she was also the first female I ever physically was with." He paused, waiting for Kurama to say something about that, but Jin heard nothing that indicated the fox demon wanted him to stop. "Well, as the years went by, she fell in love with me, and I guess somewhere down the line, I did too. But I cannot admit that in front of everyone else. That is unfair to them."

"Jin, I am no expert in this, but I do believe that even 'Gods' have a right to claim someone as their wife," Kurama suggested. "Granted, nobody has to really know about that connection unless you want them to." It was subtle, but Kurama motioned his ring finger at the wind master to show a gold wedding band on it.

Spying the band out of the corner of his eye, Jin's eyes widened at the sight. He gazed up at the fox demon rather breathlessly. "You…you're married to someone…!" Jin felt that all of the demons shared the same views on marriage, and none of them bothered to find a human partner. "She is human?" He asked curiously.

Kurama nodded slowly, bringing his hands back towards his body to cross over his knees. "She is one of my servants," he explained, as his thumb caressed the wedding band. "She will be thirty-nine in July, and even though she didn't reside in my temple until she was age fifteen, I still went to her house every night when she was growing up." Kurama smiled, as he continued to think about her. "When she was brought to in my temple, she'd always watch me play the piano. After watching me play for so long every day, she asked if I would teach her, and I did. Together we'll play a duet together and sing as well." He paused for a moment, looking over at Jin with a slight shake of his head. "Nobody knows we're married except a selected few."

"Nobody bothers to point out the ring on your ring finger?" Jin wondered with a raise of his brow, finding that a bit odd.

Kurama shook his head once more as a response. "If anybody notices it, I tell them that it is just a special ring that I own. I am an old fox demon who stole from people. They know this. For all they know, I stole it from someone."

Jin couldn't help but think about the downside of everything. "Aren't you worried about the fact she's going to pass on eventually?"

"She's human, Jin," Kurama pointed out obviously. "Of course she is going to sadly die someday, but that doesn't mean our connection is going to be severed."

The wind master turned away from the green eyes of the fellow demon to gaze out at the fog-covered woods. "The others have not been wed to humans, have they? I don't think Touya has. I see the boyo everyday, and I have not once noticed a ring on his finger."

Kurama shrugged, as he tossed his hair slightly to move the strands from his face. "I know that Shishi actually has someone; he doesn't wear a ring, but he wears an item that the woman gave him and vise versa. Hiei I am not too sure about nor am I about Touya either." His ivy orbs moved back over at Jin to eye him up and down slightly in the pale moonlight. "Shishi even came to me about the human he had in mind for himself. He thought he was weak to fall in love for a human woman." Kurama couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of those words escaping from Shishi's mouth several years ago.

Jin blew his bangs out of his face with an upward sigh. "What am I going to do? Several months ago, I had trouble just saying the words 'I love you'. How am I supposed to say that I love this woman unconditionally from now and forever?"

Pushing himself up from beside the wind master, Kurama offered his hand to Jin to help him stand as well. "Write it down on paper," he suggested. "In any marriage, vows are made. Write down everything you would want to say to her."

"What if I cannot bring myself to do this?" Jin wondered sorrowfully. "I'd hate to not be able to give her the one thing she truly wants on her birthday."

Kurama smiled at Jin before closing his eyes momentarily to think about his response. "I think sometimes we also have to think of ourselves whenever we respond to a wish." He caught the blue eyes of the wind messenger once more when he opened his. "I cannot tell you how to go about this affair, Jin, but I will say to think about it really closely. It might be something you just might need."

Jin managed a toothy smile in return, nodding at Kurama's words to him.

"I must go now," Kurama whispered between them, as he placed his hand upon Jin's shoulder. "I cannot be away from my temple for too long. Just keep in mind what I said." His hands remaining in his pockets, the fox demon jumped from the roof of the Wind Temple to land on his feet with a slight bend of his knees. Looking back up at Jin, Kurama nodded to him before continuing on his rounds.

* * *

Scarlet put away one of the books in her possession that had just come in that morning at work only to find someone staring at her out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she found Angela gazing at her with big, eager eyes. "What?" Scarlet asked with a chuckle at the look on her co-worker's face. "What's with the eyelash batting?"

"Well, today is your birthday, so it is anybody's guess as to what Jin will be getting you," Angela pointed out, as she followed behind Scarlet with her arms crossed behind her back.

"He won't be getting me anything special," Scarlet insisted, as she minded the floor. "And it doesn't bother me one bit, because I am perfectly content with everything I have at the moment."

"Oh come on!" Derrick commented, overhearing the conversation from where he was at the sci-fi section. He was a dayshift manager at the bookstore, and he worked under Shishi as a servant. "There has to be something that you want. I am sure Jin won't take 'no' for an answer when it comes to your birthday present."

Scarlet shook her head at everybody eager to get her to spill on what she could want. She chuckled, as she eyed the two curious ones about her. "You guys don't understand," Scarlet insisted tenderly. "Quite a few years from now, I was strapped with nothing." She hated to dwell back on darker times when she lived with her stepfather, Chris. "But when I beckoned to the wind master for information about Touya, I found myself with everything I ever wanted and more. I don't think there is a single thing Jin could get me at this moment. He has already given me everything."

"I have no doubt he'll think of something you want and give it to you," Derrick said, as he continued on his way about the store. "Just you wait and see!" He called over his shoulder.

The scarred woman giggled at her manager's comments before rubbing her head slightly as if she weren't feeling well. Lately she had been feeling rather nauseated, but she passed it off as a stomach bug, which had been going around work as of late.

"Are you feeling alright?" Angela asked, catching Scarlet's actions. The woman kindly placed her hand on her co-worker's shoulder. "You're not coming down with something, are you?"

"I am sure it is nothing," insisted Scarlet, as she walked about the store herself with Angela behind her still. "With the stomach bug going about work, I am sure that is all it is."

"Maybe you should ask Derrick if you could go home early if you're not feeling well," Angela suggested, thumbing behind her in the direction the manager went to. "The last thing we would need is for you to get sick on your birthday; especially if Jin has something planned out for you."

"The money and the hours would still be nice, Angela." Scarlet didn't want to head back to the temple so early. She found getting out of the building enjoyable when able. "I find myself bored staring at the same walls every hour I am awake."

"Oh, for Christ's sake!" Angela growled, grabbing Scarlet by the wrist to pull her in the direction their manager headed off towards. "If you're not feeling well, then you're not feeling well! We're going to get you sent home, so you can rest up!"

_Angela was the type of woman you couldn't argue with. If she wanted you to do something, she made sure you did it._

_Derrick allowed me to head back home, if that was what I desired. I tried to fight the notion, as I wanted time away from the temples, if just for a bit. Even I got sick of my home from time to time and would find any excuse to wander from it. But, with how queasy I was feeling, it was decided I would head home to rest up and get whatever it was out of my system with fluids._

_Seeing as it was my birthday, Touya didn't bother dragging me to his temple the first week of May, but I found the desire to head in that direction regardless. It felt like something was compelling me to go to the Ice Temple._

Scarlet opened the doors of the Ice Temple to find the atmosphere of it all terribly quiet. She was confused as to what was going on, as she wandered the eerily empty halls curiously. _Where is everyone? _She wondered, as she continued down the right corridor with her arms embracing her figure tightly, as the chill in the air was getting to her.

As she continued down the hallway, she found the sight before her starting to flash and change appearance. The marble flooring covered in blue carpet began to appear stained with blood and soot, and the walls were burnt and marred with the same crimson color. Scarlet panicked at the sight, only to blink and find it back to normal before it would shift back to the same disturbing appearance. Falling to her knees, Scarlet held onto her head tightly with a furious shake of it. "No…no, no, go away! Get away from me!" She demanded.

However, the demons messing with her mind refused. The black and dark crimson blood on the ground seemed to move about before reaching where Scarlet was kneeling on the floor of the temple. Whatever it was began to creep up Scarlet's knees and almost dig itself within her body under her flesh. Watching the horrific sight, the woman began to scream, as it felt as though something was burning her body from the inside out.

"Scarlet!" An ice priest exclaimed, as he witnessed the discomfort the woman was in. Pulling his right arm backwards, he slammed his palm forcefully down on the ground to rid the area of the malevolent beings trying to attack the woman. His powers spread out over the area to the point that all of the negativity disappeared under his influence. When everything was back to normal, he hurried over towards her to shake Scarlet back to reality. "Scarlet, it is okay! It is okay!"

Coming to her senses, Scarlet held onto the priest tightly. "What the hell was that!" She exclaimed, terrified. Her fingers grasped the light blue robe, of the man holding onto her, in comfort.

"Things have just been a bit crazy around here since Touya fell ill momentarily," the priest responded.

Scarlet looked up at the man with worry. "Touya is sick? What happened? What is wrong with him?" She was quick to forget about her own problems, hoping that the ice master was alright.

"He is fine," the priest insisted, as he helped the woman to her feet while finding his own. "He was just out in this heat for far too long, and he collapsed. Right now, he is in his bedroom with some of the servants casting an ice barrier about his bedroom to help his body conceal the chill again."

"Is it alright if I see him?" She continued down the corridor she was attacked within, knowing that Touya's bedroom was within that direction.

"I can see about an audience with him." The priest guided Scarlet to Touya's bedroom. With the door coming into view soon enough, it was covered in nothing but a blue aura and ice covering every inch of it. Hurrying up to it, the priest knocked on the door knowing that the ice wouldn't hurt him. "Scarlet Baker is here, my Lord."

The door opening to reveal frost everywhere within the room, Scarlet embraced her cold figure even more. She couldn't imagine stepping foot within that room without possibly freezing to death as she felt she would during Touya's harsh training.

Spying her resistance to wish to move into the room, the priest grabbed the quilt, which usually hung off to the side for visitors to use whenever enter Touya's room, to hand over to Scarlet. "Wear this. You should be fine."

Accepting the quilt, she wrapped herself tightly within it before entering the area. The door shutting behind her, she looked about the frozen room to find four servants in the bedroom located in the four corners of the room. Their hands were raised to the ceiling and their heads lowered as the ice powers they possessed concealed the room and gave strength back to the sick demon. Scarlet didn't say anything to them, worrying she may break their concentration. Keeping the blanket about her tightly, she got to the bedside of the ice master. "Touya…?" She whispered, kneeling beside his bed.

Hearing his name being called, Touya opened his eyes and looked over at Scarlet with a weary chuckle. "Hey there. I am sorry you have to see me like this." He situated himself upon the mattress, finding himself still feeling uncomfortable.

"What happened?" She asked, holding his hand tightly.

"I was a fool," Touya answered, closing his eyes in his attempts to relax. "I was outside for far too long, and the heat got to me. Lucky was I to be not far from my servants. They got me to my temple, and they are trying to get my energy back. I should get it back later in the day." He opened his eyes once more to look at Scarlet with a reassuring smile. "I am sure I don't need to explain what obsessive amount of heat does to an ice demon."

"I know," said Scarlet with a worry filled sigh. "You have all of the moisture sucked right out of you."

"Don't fret over me," Touya insisted. "I will be fine in no time." He noticed that Scarlet was looking paler than usual. Reaching up towards her face, he moved some of her hair out of her face to get a better look at her. "All the color has drained from your face. You look like you're exhausted. You should head back to Jin's temple and get some rest."

Scarlet held onto Touya's hand, which was caressing her face, to help rest it beside the ice master's body. "I plan on it," she chuckled quietly. "Like you, I haven't been feeling my best."

"Rest is what you need then," the ice master suggested, as he closed his eyes once more. "And happy birthday by the way, Scarlet." He managed to get the words out just in time, as Scarlet was about to leave the room.

"Thank you," she said with a smile, parting from the room to let Touya recuperate.

**(XX)**

Noticing the time on the grandfather clock located midway through the western hallway in the Wind Temple, Scarlet noticed it was time for her to head to Jin's bedroom to help the wind master and act as his servant. She still wasn't feeling well, but she wasn't about to let that hinder her schedule. Opening the door to his bedroom moments later, she peeked inside to call out to the redhead. "Jin? Jin, are you here?"

The drapes on the opposite side of the room swayed about, as the wind demon appeared from just beyond them. "Hey, Scarlet. I heard you were sick from Angela not too long ago." He made his way over towards the servant woman to hold onto her hands tenderly. "What are you doing about? You should be resting."

"I am not about to let some stomach bug stop me from coming to see you," Scarlet insisted, resting her cheek against his chest to hold him close within her embrace. She closed her eyes while placing a tender kiss upon the area, which was merely covered by the white straps of cloth that crisscrossed over the front and back of his body. "How have you been doing?"

Jin lowered himself to the side of his bed, holding onto Scarlet in return. "I have been alright. I have just been thinking about quite a lot." He was quite for a bit, wondering what to say seeing as she was feeling a bit queasy lately. "Do you feel well enough to eat?" Jin wondered, as he had plans for that evening for Scarlet's birthday.

"Yes, I am actually starving," Scarlet admitted. Even if her stomach didn't feel settled, she couldn't deny the fact that she was quite hungry.

"Well, I just don't want you getting sick when I take you out to eat." Jin pushed himself back to his feet, as he headed for one of his drawers to look through the clothing he had. "If you haven't checked your bedroom recently, I suggest doing so. I asked one of my priests to take you a package, so it should be there." The wind master pulled out an old kimono he rarely wore except for special occasions. It was mostly white with tree print on it in the color of a sky blue. When he noticed Scarlet was still nearby, Jin looked over at her with a chuckle. "Go get ready. I will do the same."

Leaving the wind demon's bedroom, Scarlet headed down to her own room to look for the package he spoke of earlier. Lighting one of the candles on the table near the door, Scarlet headed over to the bed to find a present there, sure enough, wrapped in white wrapping paper and tied with a red ribbon. Putting the candle down on the nightstand close to her bed, she began to tear through the paper to find out what it was. Tossing the top of the box aside, she smiled down at the neatly folded kimono resting inside. Scarlet pulled it out to hold up to her body to look down at the print. It was purple in color, mainly, with white and pink Cherry Blossom pedals drifting about on the sleeves and on the left side of the outfit.

Smiling brightly, the woman removed her servant attire from her body to put on the Japanese outfit that Jin had bought her. Just by bending over, she had to catch her breath, as her body wanted to reject the food she ate earlier. Scarlet took in a deep breath before finishing with getting ready. "I need to hold it together. I only have one birthday, and I cannot afford to be sick on this day," she mumbled to herself, heading for the sink in her room to pour water in a glass to drink back her sickness. Scarlet took a long look at herself in the mirror with a shake of her head. "What is wrong with me?" A knock at the door diverted Scarlet's attention from the mirror.

"Are you doing alright?" Yolanda asked; she was a high priestess of the wind master who Scarlet rarely saw. The priestess was eighteen years old, and she had white hair that Scarlet found odd, but she knew that it was dyed intentionally given that white was the respected color for the wind master. "I was asked to come here to help you get ready should you need it." The priestess made her way into the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

"That's kind of you, Yolanda. I could probably use it as my stomach is being bratty with me right now," Scarlet confessed, as she made it over towards her vanity to sit down on the chair. She rested the palm of her hand upon her stomach to try and sooth it.

"Has it been like this all morning?" The priestess asked curiously, as she lit the other candles in the room to give it more light.

"Yes, unfortunately," Scarlet grumbled, as she let Yolanda brush her bi-colored hair. "I am sure it will settle eventually. If it gets worse I'll probably go to the healers of the temple and ask them to look at it."

Yolanda continued to rake the bristles of the brush through Scarlet's hair to try and pull it back into a bun. She pulled a Japanese hairpin from her handbag she had with her to stick it within the hair carefully, so the tresses would remain in place. The hairpin had a pink flower at the end of it to match Scarlet's outfit. "Even though it is your birthday, I would suggest taking it easy. You don't need to befall worse shape on such a day."

"I do suppose you're right. I am sure I'll be fine though." Scarlet didn't want to think she was coming down with anything at that point in time. She allowed Yolanda to continue working on her makeup and everything, as Scarlet never bothered with makeup on her face when growing.

**(XX)**

Jin paced back and forth impatiently, waiting for Scarlet to make her appearance. Hearing someone heading in his direction, the wind master looked through the main entrance of the temple to find Scarlet walking towards him. He smiled joyously at her, as he extended his hands. "You look beautiful."

Scarlet wasn't sure what to say to that, as she could never look within herself to see the beauty that the demon saw. She merely smiled and bowed her head with a soft blush upon her cheeks.

Opening the doors of the temple, he stepped outside with the young woman into the crisp, warm weather. It was late afternoon, so Jin knew they had plenty of time to do whatever they needed to. "Are you ready?" He witnessed her nod, as Jin slowly took to the skies with the woman in his arms. "I have a place you might like to see." The wind master insisted between them, as he headed towards the mountains not too far from where the Wind Temple was located. He flew about the mountainside, trying to pinpoint the location he was thinking of. When the area came into view for him, he looked at Scarlet with a toothy grin. "Close your eyes," Jin said, as he paused in midair.

Raising a brow to his suggestion, Scarlet did as he asked with a rather sarcastic smirk on her face. She could feel that the demon was slowly descending to wherever it was Jin had picked out for them. Her feet soon meeting with the ground with the wind master's help, she felt Jin holding onto her shoulders. "Can I open my eyes now?" She asked with a slight chuckle.

"Alright, open them," Jin suggested, keeping a tight hold onto Scarlet's shoulders still.

Scarlet opened her eyes to find an area of the mountainside glistening with multicolored crystals growing from the side of it. It projected many different colors on the lush scenery about them. Her mouth opened in shock, she made her way over to one of the crystals jetting from the mountain rock to touch it curiously. "It is real! I cannot believe it is real! This place is so beautiful…!" Scarlet couldn't find her breath at first, as she ran her hands over the different shapes and sizes of the crystals. "How does nobody know this place exists?"

"Because it would be torn apart for greedy reasons," Jin answered honestly, as he allowed her to look around. "Not a lot of people know it is here. I make sure it is covered in Wind Knoll's fog, so it is left as it is. Do you like it?"

"It is so beautiful," Scarlet repeated, as she was still in shock over the sight before her. "I thought places like this only rested in my dreams. When I was little. I used to have this reoccurring dream of being high in the clouds and looking down on a world covered in nothing but multicolored crystal. I thought it was the most magnificent thing I had ever seen."

Jin took Scarlet's hands back into his own to guide her to the empty space where he had a blanket resting on the ground. He already had things setup prior to bringing Scarlet out to the spot. Sitting her down on the blanket, he kept her hands within his still while smiling at her. "I am glad you like it. I also have something else I want to give you for your birthday. I had thought about it all night long, and I really hope you like it."

Scarlet was curious what else the demon could have gotten her. However, her attention was parted from Jin when she heard someone coming through the woods in their direction. She removed her hands from Jin's, curious as to who else could be coming towards them when Jin said the area was shut off to others. Her eyes widened when she saw the thirty or so high priest and priestesses of Jin and Touya as well with his many priest and priestesses following behind him. "What's…what's going on?" Scarlet asked, feeling a bit unsure of what was unfolding.

Jin took Scarlet's hands once more, ignoring everyone that was soon around them. "Scarlet, you told me that you wanted to understand what a wedding is like and that you wanted to be bound to me forever by vows. While I am afraid that the entire world cannot hear our vows or even be here to witness me say what I am about to say, I just hope that this will do for now." Jin helped Scarlet to her feet, so that he could kneel down nervously in front of her. He found the wedding ritual of the present day to be rather ridiculous in his opinion, but he knew it meant a lot to Scarlet, the one servant he had at the moment. Jin pulled out a simple, gold band he asked one of his worshippers to buy for him. "Scarlet Baker, will you marry me?"

Scarlet was confused, as she covered her mouth with her free hand to look at everyone around her to witness the demon practically on his knee to ask this of her. "You're serious…aren't you?" Her voice was cracking as she spoke. Tears lining the rim of her eyes, she swallowed hard to try and keep them at bay. "This isn't a dream…?"

"No, we're really here," Jin promised with a light chuckle at her bewilderment.

Touya made his way over towards Scarlet with his hands behind his back. "I do believe he is kneeling down, making a fool of himself just so you'll say 'yes'," the weakened ice master suggested with a slight nudge to the woman.

Finding her voice, Scarlet nodded at Jin's proposal. "Yes, yes, I will be happy to marry you…!" Feeling the ring slide onto her ring finger, Scarlet couldn't help but look at it before embracing the wind master tightly. Tears cascading down her cheeks, she could hardly find it within herself to look at Jin until the demon insisted, so he could wipe away her tears. Cupping his cheeks within her hands, Scarlet kissed him tenderly on the lips while ignoring the others nearby, who were applauding.

_I didn't pay attention to those around us to witness the occasion. All I cared about was that Jin had it within him to propose to me. For several minutes, I thought it was all a dream. I thought my entire life was becoming a dream. It just seemed to keep getting better…_


	41. Chapter 41

_Touya was there to act as the minister for Jin and me. He was able to wed us together and give me a wedding band to hand over to the wind master in return to show our union. Jin had the hardest time trying to tell me his vows, but he managed all the same. As I wasn't prepared for such a thing, I merely spoke what had been on my mind and what was in my heart before we were announced to those nearby we were husband and wife._

_After the ceremony, everyone sat around to enjoy one another's company. Some of the priestesses and priests held onto Jin excitedly, glad to be there to witness the news. Touya brought out his violin to start playing a rather smooth melody before picking it up in pace with a few quick motions of the bow against the strings. Some of the humans nearby finding the melody entrancing got to their feet and started dancing with one another as the others merely watched from where they were enjoying their food about the grassy area._

Scarlet couldn't help but giggle at some of the dancing, as she reached for a jelly filled pastry that had been cooked prior for her birthday. The priestesses of the Wind Temple had brought the food to the celebration, as Jin had asked them to bake what they desired to the night before. As she continued to eat what was around her, Scarlet saw Justin out of the corner of her eye. The young priest sitting down to join her, she swallowed what was in her mouth with a smile to him.

"I told you," Justin said right away, as he nudged Scarlet with his elbow. "I told you he would get whatever you wanted for your birthday."

"Yeah, you did," Scarlet acknowledged, as she turned her attention to the ice and wind worshippers dancing together in pairs. "After awhile it is hard to believe that they are even demons. The things they do are so righteous."

Justin nodded at her words with a smirk. "Demons change," the priest insisted quietly between them. "Humans change, everything changes. It is unavoidable no matter what." He reached for a wine glass for himself upon finding he was thirsty. "I like to think that even those born into evil can change their ways and use their abilities for good. I think it just takes the right motivation."

"The two of them lived in darkness for many years," Scarlet pointed out between them. She watched from the sidelines as Jin pulled out his flute to start staying in tune with Touya's violin playing. "They lived in the dark and they were forced to kill other demons to keep order in Makai. I can only imagine the hell they went through."

"They went through a lot," Justin admitted, remembering the books he'd read on the demons' past. "However, it was the light of one single human that brought them around, and they continue to do right by us." He shook his head at Scarlet with a gentle smile. "They aren't evil. Just because they are labeled as demons doesn't mean they would do us harm. What evil they used to do was many years ago. They have changed since then and for the better."

Scarlet smiled, as she looked over at Jin and Touya. "They did change for the better. I can only hope when their time comes, they can be given another chance at life outside of this hell."

"One can only hope," Justin agreed, as he took another sip of his wine glass. "I know I wish them the best."

When Jin put down his flute after Touya's song, the two demons bowed at the applause surrounding them. Noticing Scarlet talking to Justin, the redhead moved from beside his friend to be with his bride. "I hope you don't mind if I steal her for a moment, Justin." When the priest didn't object, Jin helped Scarlet to her feet. "Out of all of the celebrating, I just realized that we never did dance together." He turned to Touya with a nod. "Mind giving me a beat to work with?"

Touya tapped his foot slightly as if to catch the rhythm before bringing the bow to the violin strings once more to construct a slow, soothing melody.

Scarlet was a bit nervous about dancing in front of everyone, but she followed Jin best she could through the steps. "I never expected you would do all of this for me," she whispered between them.

"You underestimate what distances I would travel for the ones I love," Jin whispered back. Leaning towards her, Jin kissed her on the cheek. "I will love you from now until the end of time."

"I wish this night could last forever," Scarlet responded, closing her eyes as she rested her cheek against Jin's broad chest while they continued to slow dance with one another.

_It was the happiest moment of my life. I couldn't even imagine a more perfect time in all my living than what unfolded that day._

_As the weeks passed, I found life more enjoyable no matter where I was forced to go. I was also relieved from under Donovan's services, as Jin felt that I was well enough after nearly three years of counseling I went through. He also moved me from my bedroom and allowed me to stay within his like it was my very own. I began working on learning to cook just so that, whenever Jin got back to his room, he would have something to eat._

_The scars on my arms were becoming a distant memory—a memory I was growing to forget._

Scarlet continued her lessons under the cooks within the kitchen three weeks later after her birthday. She was getting the hang of at least preventing fires unlike in the past. Working on the new potatoes she had seasoned, she moved them to the oven so they could roast for awhile.

As Scarlet continued about the kitchen, a middle-aged chief watched her scamper about with a smirk hidden under his thick, brown beard. "Only been a few weeks and you're running around this kitchen like you own it, lassie." The man had a very heavy Irish accent. It was hard at times for him to be understood, but he made do with what he could. Placing the washcloth down in a safe place after wiping his hands free, he made his way over towards Scarlet. "You should be taking it easy there, Scarlet."

"I will be fine, Conn," she insisted, working on the ramen noodles she had cooking as well. "I don't know why everyone won't believe me when I say what I have is just a bug. It will pass."

Conn placed his hands on his round stomach with a sigh through his nostrils. "The bug should have passed by now, lass," he insisted, as he made his way over to the young woman to place his hand upon her shoulder. "I think you should go talk to the healers. I can watch over your meals here." When Scarlet was about to decline the notion, Conn urged her away from the kitchen. "I am sure Jin would agree this be more important. Now go, and don't be coming back till you have."

Scarlet grumbled at Conn's insistent behavior, but, nonetheless, she did as he suggested knowing that the illness had to be checked out. Upon making it to the healer quarters, she sat down on one of the beds to have Lillian look her over. Scarlet was asked several questions involving the past few weeks when she was sick before being checked over from head to toe.

She sat nervously, waiting for the verdict on what it could be. The serious conversations hushed behind the door made her heart flutter with worry on what could have a hold of her. When the door opened once more to the doctor's room she was in, Scarlet straightened up with a deep breath. "So what is it? I guess it must not be good, because I could hear hushed voices behind the door. You guys sounded worried."

"It isn't that it is bad, it is just…baffling," Lillian admitted, as she sat down on the chair not too far from Scarlet. "I know you're not virgin anymore given a few test results, but the question remains—who else have you been sleeping with?"

"Nobody!" Scarlet exclaimed, feeling a bit offended that they would think she was with anybody else but the wind master. "Why do you ask such a thing? What, do I have some STD or something? Because, Jin is the only one I have slept with in the past, nearly, three years!"

"No, no, it isn't that," Lillian insisted with a hidden giggle in her words. "It is just that…you're pregnant." She witnessed as Scarlet's jaw dropped from shock at the news. "And it isn't that it is a bad thing at all, it is just that it is rare for demons to impregnate human women. When I say 'rare', I do mean _**rare**_," the nurse stressed. "There have been cases of some being born, but the demonic looking offspring were sent to Makai when old enough or hidden away under the fathers' demands. But we're talking about four or five cases in over a thousand or so years—the ones that have been kept on record, anyways."

"I am…pregnant…?" Scarlet still couldn't get that thought out of her head, as she touched her stomach. "Well, Jin and I never did use protection or anything, so I guess it was bound to happen."

"Demons don't use protection unless they worry something may happen," Lillian explained, as she jotted down a few things on the clipboard she held. "And Jin most certainly doesn't use protection, being he is a free spirit."

"Who were the other demons to get a woman pregnant?" Scarlet asked curiously.

Lillian leaned forwards on her crossed legs when she found a stopping spot in her writing. "That information is personal to the demons. I am afraid I cannot give that to you." She began clicking her pen nervously. "However, Scarlet, I wouldn't advise giving this news to many worshippers. People think because you have a 'God's' child, you are like the Virgin Mary or something. I would suggest that you tell Jin this first and foremost. He will instruct you better than I on what to do." Taking the top copy of what she was writing on, she gave it to Scarlet. "Give that to the Wind Lord. If he has any questions, he can talk to me."

Scarlet could hardly find her feet when she left the infirmary wing. Struggling to even catch her breath, she looked at the notes jotted down on the paper to find that she was declared pregnant. _What am I going to tell Jin? _She wondered, placing her head within her hand. _Does he even want a baby? I can handle this, but not without him…_ Taking a deep breath, she headed back towards the kitchen to finish the meal she was working on.

**(XX)**

Jin made his way back to the temple when he was done with his rounds about the town. He spent most of the day checking on some of his worshippers that weren't under his care back at the temple, especially those that were sick or dying. Upon making it to his door, he sniffed the air to find that food was waiting for him on the other side. He opened the door to his room to find the meal that Scarlet had made for him was right there, sure enough, on the nightstand waiting for him. Jin licked his lips hungrily before making it further into the area to sneak over to the nightstand to grab a bite of the potatoes.

Scarlet was standing almost behind the door that Jin had previously opened. Closing it behind the redhead slowly, she got his attention soon enough with a clear of her throat. "Nice to know you're enjoying yourself without waiting for me." She merely teased, knowing that Jin was often hungry from all the energy he spent looking out for others.

Swallowing what was in his mouth, Jin grinned with a light chuckle. "Sorry, but I have been flying around all day." Sitting on the bedside, he patted the empty space next to him. "I am sure you haven't eaten yet yourself. You should!"

Thinking about how she would have to be eating a lot, Scarlet looked off to the side momentarily with a worried frown before heading over towards Jin. "Speaking of such a thing, I need to talk to you about something, hon."

Jin could tell there was something serious on her mind, making him a bit nervous about taking the next bite of the food in front of him. "Am I going to like this? Your tone suggests it might not be pleasant."

"I guess that depends on a variety of things," Scarlet sighed, as she fidgeted wondering how to tell Jin the truth. "Conn asked me to go get checked out by the healers, because I've been sick still for the past few weeks. Well, I did, and apparently I have been experiencing morning sickness." She paused in her words to look over at Jin out of the corner of her eye before gazing at him directly. Scarlet could tell the wind master was a bit in shock, as he still had food in his mouth that he hadn't swallowed yet. "I am pregnant, Jin, and it is your baby."

Finding the ability to swallow the food in his mouth, Jin shook his head slightly at Scarlet's news. "How-how did this happen…? I am not saying it isn't possible, but there is a—."

"—Rare chance of it happening," Scarlet interrupted. "I know; I know. I was told." She lowered her head, feeling a bit ashamed that she had to admit it now, as he wasn't sounding very excited about the notion.

Jin could tell Scarlet was upset by his shock and wording, causing him to put down the fork he hand in his hand to turn to the woman. "It isn't that I am not happy for us." He held Scarlet's hands within his own before moving the other up to her cheek to cup it tenderly. "It just took me by surprise is all. I would love to have a baby with you, but it would have to grow up hidden, or it couldn't live a normal life here." Jin knew she was confused. He could see it in her gray-green eyes. "Being a half-demon and being of my blood, the child would be praised and feared. It wouldn't get a moments peace. It would be someone to take over my spot should I someday decide to leave this life behind, but that isn't something I want to force on my child."

"Is that why the others didn't have their children either?" Scarlet asked, holding onto Jin's hand, which was caressing her cheek.

"The one who gave you the news didn't by chance tell you who it was that had the babies, did she?" Jin was worried for his friends' privacy should Scarlet have been told.

Scarlet shook her head, "No, she didn't."

"Well, the babies that _**were**_ had," Jin stressed, "were hidden away in the temple with the fathers, usually. If they had any demonic appendages, they were either hidden or cut off if they could be." He chuckled softly, seeing Scarlet horrified by that notion. "What I mean is, if they had wings, they would be removed. Like if my child has horns, it will have to be sawn off. While some humans are ignorant to demon appendages, not all are. We have to be careful."

"I understand," Scarlet whispered, kissing the palm of the demon's hand. "So what should we do about this?"

Jin shrugged, as he brought his hands back down to his lap. "That depends on what you want to do, love. I mean, I am all for having a baby no matter, but this is all up to you." He smiled tenderly at Scarlet. "I would love to have a child to call my own. It would be something I could do right with myself—teach them all the things I wasn't taught."

Scarlet bowed her head and nodded. "I would be delighted to be the one to have your baby." Embracing the wind master tightly, she kissed him on the lips whilst able to taste the seasonings of the potatoes upon them. "I can taste my food on your mouth," she teased openly with a small giggle.

Raising his brow, Jin rolled his tongue over his lips to try and be rid of the taste for her. "You have a reason to gain weight now," he pointed out, as he turned to pick up the bowl filled with ramen noodles. "You best get to work on that." When Scarlet accepted the dish, Jin pushed himself up off of the bed. "I will return with more food. I'll make sure you and the baby are healthy."

Remaining on the bed, Scarlet shook her head with a bright smile to herself. She took the spoon and began to eat the warm soup to contain her hunger.

* * *

The pregnancy would prove difficult for Scarlet to endure. Even though the morning sickness would soon leave her, she found herself confronted with horrible mood swings and a gaining desire to eat anything placed in front of her. With the weight gain getting to her, she'd often be unable to look in the mirror to get ready at times. Jin would find himself having to compliment her more than thirty times a day to remind her that she was still special and beautiful to him.

When it was time for Scarlet to head back to the Ice Temple for high priestess training, she found herself hurrying through the halls as quickly as possible to try and get to her lesson on time that first of July. On her way there, she ran into Touya unexpectedly, causing her book of shadows, and the papers in it, to go flying everywhere. "Jeez, I am so sorry!" She apologized, kneeling down slowly to grab up the items quickly.

"Lady Scarlet, what in the world is going on?" The ice master inquired, not expecting her to be late. He knelt down to help her get the papers together.

"I am sorry! I am sorry!" She almost pled for forgiveness, trying to grab up everything so she could continue on her way.

Touya looked up at the high priestess under his care to notice she was gaining weight. "Scarlet? Are you alright?"

Scarlet moved some hair behind her ears nervously, taking the papers from Touya to get to her feet slowly. "Yes, why do you ask?" She knew why he was asking—everyone was asking if she was doing okay given her sudden weight gain. Scarlet was just hoping she could play dumb long enough to think of a good excuse.

"You're looking rather…" Touya paused, wondering how to phrase the words politely, as he motioned about his face. "…Well fed."

"Oh, that," Scarlet remarked, as she held her book close to her chest. "Well, umm, Jin wanted me to eat well, so I am. Besides, umm, this is the weight he wanted me to reach. Do you not like me like this?"

Touya crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head at Scarlet's lame attempt at lying. "It doesn't matter to me how you look, but it does matter to me that you're lying to me." When she looked at him confused, he smirked briefly. "You're a terrible liar. When you cannot find the right words, you 'umm' a lot. Your mother did the same thing. So what are you 'umming' about?" He reached over in attempt to tickle her only to have Scarlet quickly duck out of the way.

Scarlet sighed in defeat, leaning in towards the ice master. "I cannot tell you what's going on, Touya. I am sorry, but I have to keep it a secret."

Raising his brow, Touya eyed Scarlet long and hard before rolling his eyes. "Alright, fine, keep your secret. Just promise me that you're doing okay. The last thing I need to find out is that you're stressing so much that weight is going to cause you to have heart problems or something."

"Thank you, my Lord," Scarlet praised with a sigh of relief before heading off to her classes.

_I dove into my studies to keep my mind off of the whispers about my well being that was apparently engulfing everyone that I knew. I couldn't even sit and read while taking notes without having people expressing their worry about my change in weight._

_I promised Jin, however, that I wouldn't let it slip to anyone about me being pregnant. It was a bit unbearable, having to lie to everyone I knew, but it was to do as I was asked of my Lord, my lover, and my husband._

"Hey, Scarlet," Bobby Bower called from the opposite side of the studying table in the library of the Ice Temple. "How are you feeling?" He sat down with the back of the chair facing in front of him, so that his arms could rest over the woodwork.

"Bobby, I a am fine," Scarlet insisted, plopping her right hand down on the book of shadows she was writing within. "I don't know why everyone is so worried over me." She giggled softly, turning the pages of the high priestess book she was reading. "I swear, I went from having nobody to having everybody caring about me. While it is flattering, it is also annoying." She shot a playful glare at the healer.

"Being you're the wife of the Wind Lord," Bobby whispered between them, "I would say everyone has good reason to be worried. We sure don't need his heart to be broken again, and we don't need you to fall ill."

Scarlet smiled at his words, continuing to jot down a few things in her book. "I am just gaining weight. I am sure it is because I have a lot on my plate, so don't worry about me." Finishing the book she was on, Scarlet closed it right as the clock rang the hour. Scarlet caught that it was three o'clock. "I guess I should get outside and walk for at least a little bit. Care to join me?"

Bobby couldn't turn down the offer, as he wanted to make sure Scarlet was doing okay. "Seeing as it is down time for the temple, I will be happy to do so. Let me change my clothes first. I cannot afford to walk out in the heat in these long robes."

"Same," Scarlet chuckled, as she picked up her books and papers to head to her bedroom to change out of her high priestess outfit as well.

When both were changed, they went out into the streets to head up and down the roads together. "So where did you once live before the Wind Temple?" Bobby asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I lived on Lavender Lane," Scarlet answered, nodding up the road. "Which happens to be right up here." She was quiet, thinking about the times spent at Chris' home on that road. "It was a crappie house that started to deteriorate once my mother died when I was sixteen. What about yourself?"

"I was born and raised at the Ice Temple," Bobby said, as he knocked a few rocks on the sidewalk about with his tennis shoe. "My family has lived there for generations, so that temple is all they've known. I would say I probably know it better than some of the priests and priestesses do." He could tell Scarlet was starting to feel rather queasy just walking down Lavender Lane. "You know, we can travel somewhere else. The town isn't exactly that small."

"No," Scarlet insisted instantly, "no, it is fine. I promise." She was quiet as her old home was coming into view once more. From the outside, the paint was still dulled and pealing off of the building, and the front yard looked a mess. "Truth be known, I want to see what has become of my past." Stopping right at the mailbox belonging to her old house, Scarlet turned to the building with a deep sigh. Just standing there was making all of the memories come flooding back to her. She could still remember the times Chris would raise his hand to her and belittle her for every thing she did.

Bobby could see the horrific trance she was in just thinking about the past. He reached over to hold onto her upper arms tenderly. "Scarlet, we should leave. If you don't want to be here, we don't have to be here."

Scarlet cupped her forehead in her hand before waving away the notion. "He…wasn't perfect, but he was the only father I knew," she expressed vaguely. "My birth father was sacrificed at the Ice Temple to stop the long winter when I was three."

"Look, if this guy didn't do you right, we should leave," Bobby insisted, hoping to guide Scarlet away from the house.

"I keep hoping someday he'd change his ways," she continued, refusing to budge from where she was standing. "Maybe someday he will." At that moment, Scarlet watched as the doorknob began to turn. Her heart was beating rapidly when she witnessed Chris step out of the house to grab the newspaper off of the front step. The man hadn't changed in appearance. She caught her breath when Chris noticed her standing there at the foot of the driveway.

Chris paused for a long while. Scarlet had changed over the past three years from what he last remembered. Regardless of the weight she put on, her hair was much longer than last he recalled. It was down to her lower back and braided to keep it out of her face. "You…!" He exclaimed breathlessly.

Scarlet could tell by his tone that he wasn't happy to see her again. She wasn't downstairs the night that Jin and Chris exchanged heated words, so she was unaware of what was said. "Dad…?"

The disgruntled, drunkard hurried towards Scarlet, but it was obvious to Bobby that the man had intent to hurt her. He quickly got in front of the pregnant woman to prevent the man from getting too close to her. "Don't you touch her!" He demanded, trying to protect her on both the demons account that weren't present at the moment.

Chris didn't bother throwing Bobby out of the way. He pointed at Scarlet, who was cowering behind the young man. "I told that God damn wind bastard if I so much as caught you looking this way again, I would kill you for it, and I meant that! For the crap you're willing to drag yourself through, I should kill you now myself!"

"If you touch her, you'll be unleashing hell upon yourself and a curse you won't escape!" Bobby yelled over Chris' anger. He was relieved he was able to settle the furious male if for a moment. "She is the wife to that wind bastard you have the nerve to speak of! If you rest a finger on his wife, I have no doubt you'll regret it!"

Hearing such news made Chris sick to his stomach. "Married…married to a bloody beast of hell." He looked at Scarlet in disgust. "Have your fun time in misery with being the queen of Satan. I know I'll be the one laughing when you fall under in this blinded world." With that said, he turned his back on Scarlet to head back inside of the house with a slam of the door.

Scarlet jumped slightly from the sound of the door slamming. Covering her mouth to hide her trembling lip, she found herself resting against Bobby's embrace. Even if he tried to sooth her, it was still difficult for Scarlet to stop sobbing against his chest.

_I cried for hours. Bobby took me back to the Ice Temple where I went to my bedroom to remain for the rest of the day to continue crying. He was the last family I had on this earth, and I couldn't share a single moment with him without it being identified as blasphemy._

Touya opened the door to Scarlet's bedroom to find the young woman resting on the bed. He knew she wasn't asleep given the sniffling he could hear. "We missed you at dinner tonight," he mentioned, usually keeping tabs on when people ate in his temple.

"I wasn't hungry," Scarlet whispered against her pillow.

Closing the door behind him, Touya made it over towards the bedside to kneel beside it. "Jin will kill me if he finds you're not doing well over here," he said quietly between them, as he ran his fingers through Scarlet's bi-colored hair. "What is wrong? Bobby told me you both went out walking together at three, but he didn't wish to say more than that. What happened?"

Scarlet was hesitant to speak up about where she went. "Jin will be mad at _**me**_ if he finds out. He didn't want me going back to my house, but with me being…" She paused, realized she was about to spill the secret. "…Well, basically, I felt like I really needed to see my step-dad again. But as soon as he saw me all hell broke loose."

"Oh, Scarlet," Touya sighed, rubbing her shoulders tenderly to try and ease her. "That man doesn't want you back there. You need to stay away from him. I know that you feel close to him given his status in your life, but he was in no way, shape, or form a wonderful father to you. You don't need him, so let him be."

Scarlet sniffled, moving some of her wild hair out of her face when she turned to look at the ice master. "Everything you've done for me after the way I treated you in the beginning is very kind of you, Touya, and I know you're trying your best to be there for me…but, Chris was the only father I knew of when growing up."

Touya wasn't sure what to say to her, as he merely lied there nearby to comfort her best he could throughout the night.


	42. Chapter 42

_It was hard to forget about my stepfather. For many years, I considered him my father, and I even thought he was my dad by birth until my mother told me what became of the man who helped conceive me (though she neglected to tell me he was a sacrifice)._

_Even when I returned back to the Wind Temple, I couldn't stop thinking about the run in with Chris. It was hard to accept he didn't want to be a part of my life—ever._

Jin finished the warm tea before heading over to where Scarlet was resting on his bed to give her the cup he poured her share within. "It'll help settle your nerves." He waved the porcelain cup in front of her slightly to try and entice her to take it from him.

Scarlet accepted the warm cup without saying a word at first. The scene of Chris charging at her continued to replay in her mind, as well as the words he spared her. Looking down at the tea, she sighed heavily. "So what exactly did my dad tell you that night that you took me from my house?" Jin didn't answer her right away, as he was sipping on his drink as well. "Did he threaten to kill me should I return?"

"Yeah, he did," Jin answered, as he wiped the dampness from his mouth with the back of his hand. "He, uh, he told me that you weren't going to be welcome back to that house as long as he lived." He saw the sorrow engulfing Scarlet's expression. "Scarlet, you don't need that man. I don't know why you feel you do."

"I guess I just felt, since I am having a baby, he'd be happy to see his grandchild," Scarlet admitted between them. She felt Jin's palm resting upon her back, prompting her to look at the wind master with a brief smile to show her thanks in his ways of comfort. "I like to believe people can change. Don't you?"

Jin placed down the tea he was drinking so that he could embrace Scarlet tightly. "I don't want you near that man again, do you hear me?" He wasn't thinking too much on Scarlet's desire to be reconnected with her father—only the baby she now had. "I am sorry if you want that lad back in your life, but he just wants to hurt you something fierce. He didn't approve of you worshipping me, and he certainly won't approve of you being married to me." He turned his attention straight ahead at nothing in particular with a roll of his eyes at the situation. "I fear to think what he'd do if he found out the baby you're carrying is mine."

"I promise I won't go near him," Scarlet whispered against his embrace. "It is obvious he doesn't want me around. I guess I have no choice by to stand clear of him."

Placing a kiss upon her forehead, Jin lied down on the bed with Scarlet. "And if he so much as comes near you or breathes your air, let me know," Jin insisted, as he held the young woman close to his body. "I threatened him once before, and I am not afraid to do it again." Hearing Scarlet hum her response, the wind demon nuzzled against her exposed neck. "You should rest now. When you wake, I will have food ready for you."

_I kept my distances from my old house, even if I would occasionally walk by the building during the first week of every month when I was at the Ice Temple. My father was never home whenever I happened by, so I was relieved. I knew if he ever came out, he would no doubt attack me._

_Maybe the pregnancy was just making me overemotional, but I just wanted him there when I gave birth to my first child._

As the months passed, it was hard to conceal the fact that Scarlet was pregnant as her stomach grew. She knew it was becoming pointless to let people think it was just some awkward weight gain. Those that were there to witness the union between her and Jin knew the truth, but they didn't say a thing about it to those around them. Working with the pregnancy was a challenge for Scarlet, but she made do to the best of her ability.

"I don't know why you're so concerned over what that bastard thinks," Angela pointed out that day at work, as she was behind the counter with Scarlet. "From the sound of things, your stepdad wasn't a very charming fellow. And I will say this—." She paused in her words, looking around to make sure nobody was nearby. "—If he knows that you're pregnant with a demon's child, he will probably not hesitate to kill the both of you."

"Well, Jin wouldn't let that happen," Scarlet whispered in return, as she situated the many one dollar bills in her drawer so that they were neat. "Besides, Jin wouldn't be the only pissed one if this baby is lost."

"So the Ice Lord knows?" Angela inquired, as she situated a few things behind the counter to where they were neat and in place.

"He told me that he had a feeling that was what was wrong with me," Scarlet said, closing her drawer once all her ones were together in stacks of twenty. "So as I got bigger, he knew it was a baby. He is excited because it will be born in December sometime when he expects a lot of births." She sat down upon the stool she was allowed. "I also think because it is made of me and Jin, he is excited over it."

Angela twisted her mouth to the side, confused as to what Scarlet meant by that. "So his best friend's DNA, and why is he so particular about yours?"

"He was in love with my mother when she was alive, and he still is," Scarlet answered simply. Amidst their talking, she noticed Derrick was heading in their direction, looking quite perturbed. "Derrick, what is the matter?"

"Some disgruntled man was looking for you, Scarlet," the manager of the store explained. "He was drunk from what I could gather. He claimed to be your father, and he said he was told you were working here."

Scarlet felt her heart nearly stop and her hands becoming clammy. "Why-Why would he come looking for me?" She was hoping the times that she walked by the house to look at it went unnoticed by the man.

"He said he wanted to talk to you about your pregnancy," Derrick went onwards to explain from the opposite side of the counter. "I don't know what about it, but apparently, he wasn't too happy concerning whatever it is. He must not want a grandkid."

Unsure of what to respond with, she knew that Chris somehow found out about the child being part demon. She looked over at Angela, who was carrying an equally horrified look over the situation. The fellow co-worker's eyes met with Scarlet's, as they exchanged worrisome glances.

"I am going to contact the Wind Lord," Angela offered with a raise of her hand to excuse herself from the picture momentarily. Bringing out her cell, she began to call one of the priestesses she worked closely with, who she knew had a better connection to Jin then she did.

"What do you want me to do about this?" Derrick asked with a sigh of worry over the situation. "Obviously his intent is to hurt you. I cannot allow you to be without an escort, or he will find you and possibly kill you."

"My dad was many things, but he was never a murderer," Scarlet insisted in Chris' defense. "But I know if I am ever caught near that man, Jin will scold me and probably injure my stepfather." She sighed, slapping her hands down at her sides in defeat of Derrick's curious stare. "Okay, okay, just make sure he stays out of the store, and I will go to the Wind Temple on the days I work with Angela or Ginny." Ginny was just a worshipper there at the temple. The redheaded woman often found her home there in the temple, so she never bought a home of her own.

"I'll make sure you work with either one of them then," Derrick said, as he pushed himself away from the countertop. "Just be careful from here on out, alright?"

Scarlet nodded, opening up a book she had with her to read a bit of it until a customer were to come into her line.

When Angela and Scarlet's shift was over, the two of them walked out of the bookstore together around three o'clock that afternoon. Scarlet waited for Angela to walk out of the store once she went back in to grab her purse she almost forgot. She couldn't help but feel nervous about standing outside alone. Hearing the doors to the store open, she was relieved to see Angela make her appearance.

"Sorry about that," she apologized, situating her black, leather purse over her right shoulder appropriately. "I guess I just don't know where my head is lately." Angela motioned for Scarlet to follow beside her, as she scurried down the sidewalk.

"So what did Jin have to say about all of this?" Scarlet asked, curious to know what the wind master possibly relayed to Angela.

"He was furious," Angela said matter-of-factly, as she made sure everything was in her purse as it should be. "I've got to tell you, I really hope that Chris guy doesn't have the balls to come near you. I really do fear what may happen to everyone should he succeed in harming you."

Scarlet raised her brow at Angela's choice of words. "What do you mean 'everyone'?"

"Jin has already been broken hearted before no thanks to demons attacking the town," Angela explained, as they continued on their way to the Wind Temple together. "After many years of heartache, he is just now starting to heal. If his happiness is taken away from him…" Her voice trailed off thinking about the consequences. "Look, do you remember the pact that was made many years ago? I am sure you probably heard of it around town."

"What pact?" Scarlet was unsure of what Angela was trying to express to her, forgetting about what was told her four or so years ago.

"There was a pact that the demons made amongst themselves," Angela explained. "They agreed that the humans in this village were becoming too destructive, and if it continued, they wouldn't fear to destroy this town and curse it for all eternity. So far the pact lies in a tie, but if just one more agrees to destroy this town, we are all going to be doomed."

"Oh God, that pact!" Scarlet exclaimed between them, as they made it to the woods where the Wind Temple was buried. "I remember him telling me about it when I went to see Teresa years ago. I didn't think that was still going on!"

Angela minded her steps, as she walked the dirt road, which led to their safe haven towards the mountains. She had to admit to herself that the woods looked nice when the bright sun shined through the tree leaves. "Every year they meet to decide the fate of the humans here in Wind Knoll. So far it has been the same. It has always been a tie, but I fear what may cause the scales to tip."

"Don't talk like that…!" Scarlet begged, grasping her shirt where her heart rapidly beat. "I don't ever want to consider such a fate for the people of Wind Knoll!"

"It is the truth, Scarlet!" Angela growled, spinning around to prevent the woman from walking any further down the path they were both upon. She shook her head slowly at Scarlet with a sigh through her nostrils. "It is the truth," she repeated quietly this time, "and whether you like it or not, every little thing everyone says or does balances those scales." Angela reached out to place her hand upon the servant girl's shoulder. "Just promise me you'll be safe. We don't need your death to be talked about."

_I didn't know what to say about the notion. Merely nodding, I followed Angela back inside of the Wind Temple to continue my servant work under Jin as I always did. The pact that Angela reminded me of couldn't help but haunt me even when I was fixing to get ready to go to bed that night…_

Scarlet worked on unbraiding her hair as Jin got himself ready for sleep as well. She listened to Jin go on and on about his day and what all was going on with his worshippers though her mind traveled outside of his words (she almost tuning him out completely at one point). "Jin?" Scarlet interrupted from where she was resting on their bed. "Remember long ago when Teresa was still alive?" She witnessed as the redhead stopped in his speaking and motions to put on his shirt when she brought up such an old time. "Well, I remember you telling me that the demons all made a pact that night, and if the vote ever tipped, Wind Knoll would be cursed forever."

Jin almost appeared to be looking around the room for a way to escape that conversation. Finding no way around it, he exhaled quietly with a close of his eyes before finding the courage to look at Scarlet once more. "Aye, we still meet to determine the fate of those in this village." He put the sleeveless shirt on his body before making his way over to his wife in the dimly lit room. "It is still dead set on a tie, so nothing is changing."

"What demons would possibly want to destroy this town?" Scarlet was baffled as all the demons seemed to really care about someone in particular that was human.

"I think the ones that want to curse the town are looking out for those that live here," Jin tried to explain in their defense. "With the town cursed and everyone gone, they would be dragged to hell and there would be no more bloodshed. All of the torment would be over." The wind master paused, as he scratched an annoying itch within his hair. "It might be a morbid way of looking at it, but it is how they see it. They are tired of all the pointless sacrifices they receive to this day still. It is like watching one of your own children lie before an altar and have their blood spilled right in front of you, and you are powerless to stop them, because the worshippers are so light blinded that they cannot feel, see, or hear you."

Scarlet sighed heavily while she rubbed her hands together nervously. "I just really hope you won't ever let something like this happen to Wind Knoll," she pleaded between them. "It would devastate me."

"All I can do is try my best, love," Jin whispered between them, as he leaned in to kiss her forehead. He guided Scarlet down to the mattress of the bed, resting the palm of his hand upon her round belly. Rubbing it tenderly, he smiled widely to himself when he felt the growing baby kick against his hand, which the child felt about his space. "But don't fret about that now," he insisted in his Irish accent. "Just get some rest, and dream of better things."

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Scarlet yawned, feeling the exhaustion coming upon her. "I love you." Closing her eyes, she heard Jin's returned 'I love yous' before drifting off to sleep.

**(XX)**

Scarlet slept well throughout the night until she could hear something or someone seeming to call her name. Moving in the bed, she opened her eyes wearily to find nothing about the dark room at first until she happened upon the door. There was a misty figure, which Scarlet couldn't quite make out right away. Slowly she got to her bare feet to tiptoe towards the door. She stopped near the bed to look down at Jin, who was snoring away contently that night. Offering a smile to him, she quietly hurried after the figure that happened upon the room.

The misty figure seemed to dart about the hallways by evaporating before forming once more in a different area. All the while, the spirit was calling out to her. She followed it to the main room within the temple, and then, out the double doors of the building.

Her naked feet touching upon the dewy grass, Scarlet looked up at the spirit confusingly. "Who are you?" She asked, watching it drift up into the sky out of her reach. Before she could hope to reach for it, someone came from behind Scarlet to grab her about the mouth and hold her tightly in place. She tried her best to scream, but the screams were muffled by the palm confining her words.

"Don't say a word, Scarlet," Chris' liquor stained breath demanded against her ear. "If you bring that demon here, I won't hesitate to kill you and the abomination you have in your stomach!"

Scarlet tried to deter her thoughts from triggering a help signal to the wind master. Managing to remove the hand from about her lips, she looked over her shoulder at her stepfather. "What do you want with me!" She exclaimed, trying to fight against the man.

Chris began walking with Scarlet through the woods to head back to their house on Lavender Lane. "I don't care what that bloody beast has to say about you! You're my damn daughter, and I will make sure you're taken away from all of this!"

I fought against that man all the way back to our old house. Just being pushed through the front door again made me sick to my stomach. My dad herded me back up the stairs and back into my old bedroom—a place I thought I would never see again in all my years of living.

Scarlet's body hit her old, dusty bedcovers harshly. "You can't do this!" She insisted, trying to situate herself on the bed to get comfortable. "Even if you manage to keep me here for the night, Jin will still make his way here to help me!"

"I will deal with him on my own time!" Chris barked, waving his finger at Scarlet. "Now shut up, and sit down!" Running his fingers through his hair, he growled angrily while wondering where to start. "So you're married to that damned bastard, eh?" He didn't hear a response out of Scarlet, making him turn around to glare at her. "And that baby is part demon, isn't it!"

She placed her hand upon her stomach, furrowing her brow in worrisome sadness. It looked absolute painful for her to open her mouth to speak. "Y-Yes…it is." Scarlet was met with a harsh slap of Chris' hand, causing her head to jerk to the left with a brief cry escaping from her lips. She placed her hand upon her sore cheek before turning to look at her stepfather. "Dad, I love him!" She was teary-eyed just expressing her feelings.

Chris grabbed onto Scarlet's upper arms to shake her violently. "He is a demon! How can you possibly love a _**DEMON**_! He's going to drag you to hell with him and where your mother is currently rotting!"

"I would drag myself to the depths of hell just to be with him!" Scarlet retaliated, hating to hear her father talk about such a thing in a distasteful way.

Hearing her say such a thing caused Chris to stare at her in disgust. He wasn't afraid to slap her once more for her disobedient behavior. "If I have to beat this lesson into you, so be it!"

Scarlet's screams could be heard echoing throughout the house, as her father did his best to strike the truth into her. Throughout the moments he was trying to make her take back the words she had to say to him, Scarlet tried her best to beckon to Jin within her mind. She wanted to be saved from her stepfather, who might very well try to kill her against her better judgment.

The thoughts of his wife reaching him during his sleep, Jin's eyes shot open before he pushed himself up in bed quickly. "Scarlet?" He called, hoping he was just imagining things while dreaming. "Scarlet?" Jin threw the covers back to find her side of the bed empty. A horrified shock raked over his body as he jumped out of his bed and threw open the door, calling for her still.

Justin, Yolanda, and Rachael were amongst the many woken up by the wind master's cries for Scarlet. The three gazed at one another in their nightwear before hurrying after the frantic demon.

"My Lord, what is wrong?" Razz asked curiously, as she followed him outside of the temple walls.

"Scarlet is missing!" Jin responded with worry clinging to his every word. "I woke up, and she was gone! I heard her screaming for me in my dreams, so I know she is in trouble!"

Justin crossed his arms over his broad chest to look about the scene outside of the temple to find two sets of footprints embedded within the soil about them. "Look at this," he encouraged, kneeling down to touch the tracks belonging to Scarlet with his index and middle finger. "Two people were here recently. I can tell from the energy signature one was Scarlet, but I don't know who the other is. Whoever it was, they dragged Scarlet away."

Inhaling the scent on the wind, Jin snorted irritably with his tongue stuck out briefly to show his distaste in the smell. "It was her stepfather, and I told that man I would **kill him**!" He yelled angrily, taking to the wind without another word on the matter.

"Jin, wait!" Rachael yelled over the roaring wind currents the demon caused. "We have to do something, Justin! He is going to kill a man, and that is the last thing we need!"

Justin pointed at Yolanda. "Go to the Earth Temple and get Kurama quickly! Rachael, go to the Ice Temple and get Touya if he hasn't already been alerted by Scarlet! I'll hurry as fast as I can after the Wind Lord. Go—now!" The high priest hurried back inside to grab the keys to his SUV he kept parked about the woods, so he could try and race Jin to Lavender Lane.

Jin hurried as fast as he could to where Scarlet was calling him. Making it to her window, the demon struggled to open it at first with it nailed shut. Not wanting to waste another moment, he punched through the glass and found the latch to unlock it to let himself in. Ignoring the sting from the holy objects he was inflicted, Jin hurried inside of the bedroom he hadn't been in for awhile. "Scarlet!" He called out, looking for the young woman. Realizing that the door to her bedroom wasn't secure, Jin rushed over to lock the door after shutting it.

"Jin…?" A weary voice called from the floor near the nightstand in the bedroom.

Turning around quickly, as he recognized it was Scarlet, Jin found the woman lying on the carpeted ground bleeding from her mouth. A few bruises were starting to form on her neck and face from where Chris hit her hard enough. "Scarlet!" Kneeling down beside her, Jin tried to move her from where she was lying only to have the frail woman scream at the pain, which shot through her chest. "God dammit…what has he done! Why didn't you contact me!" He was furious, thinking he was too late in the matter to help her.

"He would have killed me…" Scarlet responded, lying her head back down on the ground beneath her, closing her eyes continuing to slowly breath. "And I was so scared…"

"Can you move any?" Jin asked, wishing he could help her back to her feet again.

"No, not without it hurting badly," Scarlet said, coughing harshly only to find immense pain rake through her body once more just by those actions alone.

Justin managed to make it through the fog to get to the house he remembered Scarlet saying she once lived on. Parking his car, he slammed the door while hurrying to the window he saw broken from the top floor. "Jin! Jin, are you there!" He called up from outside. When nobody answered, he made it to the wild vines covering a part of the house to climb his way up to the window. "Jin!" He exclaimed from the window, once he managed to make it. "We have to get out of here. We don't need that man coming back to hurt her more!"

"She cannot be moved, and I don't remember asking you to follow me!" Jin scolded, pointing at the high priest.

Regardless of the threatening growls the demon gave him, Justin pulled himself inside of the room. He stopped for a moment when he heard the warped cry of Kurama in his silver fox form. "And the others are coming too," he added in. "Kurama is on his way, and so is Touya with Rachael and Yolanda."

"I am not going to get used to this!" Rachael insisted, as she buried her face within Touya's hair. She was on his back with her arms crossed over his chest to keep herself from falling off of the speedy ice master. "How you all can run so quickly is beyond me!"

Touya merely looked over his shoulder at the priestess, continuing on his way to find Kurama there as well. "Kurama, you're here too?" He asked, stopping right at the Bakers' mailbox.

Yolanda got off of the large fox creature she was riding upon, so that Kurama could transform back into his redheaded form. "I am worried what this may drive Jin to do, admittedly." He reached for Yolanda to bring her close to him. "Let's go." Making it inside of the room, Kurama put the priestess down to safety before hurrying over to where Jin was to find Scarlet lying there looking to be in bad shape. "Christ," Kurama mumbled, as he removed his top shirt to wipe the blood off of her mouth. "What happened here!" He exclaimed quietly amongst everyone.

"Her stepda is a downright bastard," Jin commented angrily, as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I tried to move her, but there is pain coming from her chest area, she says."

"Because he probably broke her ribs," Kurama insinuated right away. He rested his hand gently upon Scarlet's damaged rib area to concentrate what healing energy he could into her body. "This should help for the time being. I would be too worried to move her if her ribs were broken, as they could puncture something." Looking over at Jin, he nodded to the wind master. "You're going to help me move her. We have to at least get her on the bed. I'll get her legs, and you get under her arms." Kurama was trying his best to keep Jin occupied, knowing that if the wind master had the opportunity, he would probably run off to kill Chris.

Scarlet was still in pain over being moved. She made it obvious with the loud screams she forced out of her mouth. "Stop…! Please, just stop…!" She begged through her tears.

"Just hold on, Scarlet," Kurama insisted, as he situated the pillows about her before helping the injured female under the covers. "There you go. You should be okay."

A banging at the door broke everyone's attention. "Scarlet, what's going on in there!" Chris' voice yelled from the opposite side of the door. "Open this damn door!"

Jin watched as the door shook against Chris' weight smashing into it. Growling angrily, he pushed away from the bed. He ignored everyone trying to stop him, as he threw open the door and made his appearance known in front of the man he had opened up to him four years ago. He shut the door behind him to make sure nobody could come and stop him right away. "You dared touch her after I told you that I wouldn't feel bad about killing you should you do so!" Jin threatened angrily, as he grabbed onto Chris' right wrist to squeeze it rightly to the point he was about to break it.

"Jin, stop it!" Kurama demanded, as he grabbed onto the wind master's free hand. He wasn't expecting Jin to fight back on him, so he wasn't prepared for the force the wind demon put into throwing Kurama off to the side. The gale force Jin output against him caused the fox demon to crash through Cynthia's old bedroom door.

"Kurama!" Justin panicked, as he jumped over the destroyed entryway to check and make sure he was okay.

"Jin, stop this!" Rachael begged. She ran over to her Wind Lord to grab onto his upper arm to prevent him from trying to throw her if he dared try. "Would you dare hurt me!" She exclaimed through her tears in having to see Jin so mentally wounded. "Would you hurt one of your very daughters!" She buried her cheek against the very arm she was holding. "Don't do it, Jin. Please don't kill him!"

Jin's fury began to steadily die down at seeing Rachael so upset. Releasing his tight grip upon the man, he pointed down the staircase. "Get out of here," he growled lowly, backing Chris down the stairs. "I want you out of this house!" Jin wasn't going to hear another word out of Scarlet's stepfather, as he chased the man out of the building. "Don't come back until she's healed, or I will make sure that nobody is here to restrain me next time!" With that said, Jin slammed the front door in Chris' face with the force of the wind doing so. With the door shut, he turned around to find Rachael running towards him to embrace the demon tightly. He wrapped his arms around the high priestess with a sigh through his nostrils. "I am sorry, Razz. It's going to be okay."

Touya remained in the bedroom with Scarlet when everyone resurfaced moments later after the confrontation. He was a bit worried to ask how everything went, so he kept the question to himself while continuing to stroke Scarlet's head tenderly.

"How is she?" Jin asked, sitting down upon the bedside.

"She is fine," Touya sighed in response. "Through all of that, she just went to sleep." The ice master appeared hesitant to speak up about something else that was on his mind. "I have…some other news to give to you, Jin." Touya bit his lower lip nervously though appearing sorrowful all the same. "I was checking her over while you all were messing around with her father. Given how badly she was beaten, I was worried about the baby, so I checked the energy I could usually feel when the baby was growing inside of her." Touya shook his head, as he looked up at the wind master. "He killed it. I don't sense the energy in her anymore."

Jin clutched his fingers angrily, unable to find the words on what to say about it. Not able to think clearly at that moment, he rushed towards the window to let himself out to be alone.

"Jin!" Justin yelled, as he stuck his head out of the broken window.

"Let him go," Kurama insisted, watching Jin leave as well. "There is obviously nothing we can say or do to make him be any less hurt than what he is." With a heavy exhale, the fox demon headed for the bedroom door himself. "I have to go and get one of my worshippers, who work at the local hospital to have them operate on her and get the child out. It is pointless for it to be in her any longer at this rate."

_I was out cold throughout it all. I don't remember a thing except the yelling that Jin was doing at my stepfather. It was all a nightmare that I wanted to wake up from. I didn't want any of it to be real…any of it._

Scarlet woke up to find herself in a bit more pain than usual. Rolling her head to the side, she found Touya sleeping on the bed right beside her. "Touya…?" She questioned wearily, only able to find herself moaning from the agony shortly after.

Hearing his name, the ice master opened his eyes with a brief smile to Scarlet. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"In pain," Scarlet mumbled quietly between them. "What happened…? The last thing I remembered was Jin was yelling at my dad."

Touya swallowed hard, as he reached over to stroke Scarlet on top of the head. "Jin didn't kill him. Rachael managed to stop him from doing so. Chris is just out of the house right now. Jin wanted him to be, so you could heal," he whispered. He was reluctant about speaking about the surgery she underwent to have the baby removed from her.

Scarlet looked around the room to find it void of anybody but the two of them. "Where is Jin now…? I would expect he would be here."

"He left to think," Touya answered, resting his cheek against the pillow closest to Scarlet. "Jin had a lot on his mind, so he needed to be alone."

She noticed the way Touya was acting was rather odd and unlike him. He was acting sad—something she rarely saw him do. "What is wrong? You look really upset."

Touya pressed a smile on his face best he could. "It is nothing, Scarlet. I am just relieved you're okay." Leaning forwards, he placed a chilled kiss upon her forehead.

The door opened to reveal Kurama standing there in the doorway. "Touya, I need to speak with you for a moment." The ice master giving him a confused look, he went onwards to explain. "We found Jin, and he wants to _discuss_ a few things with us."

Touya knew what that meant. His heart felt like it shattered into a million pieces, as he closed his eyes tightly looking as though he were hit in the stomach.

Scarlet caught his reaction to Kurama's words, making her confused. "Touya, what is going on? What's going to happen…?" She asked, reaching over to hold onto the top of his hand.

The ice master insisted that Kurama leave the room with a simple wave of his hand before turning around to put a fake smile on once more. "It's going to be okay," he assured her quietly, continuing to stroke her head tenderly. "You're going to go to sleep, and when you wake up, you're going to be with your mother again and your birth father. It might be a bit of a nightmare at first, but I promise, it will get better." When he knew there was no delaying it, Touya parted from the bedside to make it to his feet. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise. I will make sure of it myself."

She wasn't sure what he meant, so Scarlet closed her eyes to go about sleeping. The last thing she saw that night was Touya leaving the bedroom with Kurama.

Jin was waiting just outside of the town with the other demons gathered about him. When Kurama and Touya made their appearance as well, he eagerly spoke up. "I want to change my vote," he insisted seriously. "I want to be done with this town."

"Jin, you cannot be serious," Touya insisted, hoping to have the redhead reconsider. "You're going to burn this entire town down and curse it all because of what one man did!"

Kurama could tell Touya was about to have a physical confrontation with his friend, prompting the fox demon to step in and stop him from getting any closer to Jin.

"I've suffered enough!" Jin yelled angrily and in pain in his defense. "I just want it to be over with!"

Everyone was quiet at that moment; Kurama wasn't sure what to say to deter Jin otherwise. "Then it is settled," the fox demon said, releasing Touya. "We will be rid of our duties here and head back to the depths of Makai. We won't come back here, and we won't bother the citizens any further." Stepping away from everyone, Kurama closed his eyes and transformed into his Youko Kurama form. "Let's go."

Fire, ice, earth, and wind destroyed the buildings within the town. It caused severe panic within everyone that could see the demons walking side by side through the streets to demolish anything that held a clear reference to what they were to anybody. The screams affected them very little, or they tried their best to hide it being so.

"You all who worshipped us shall now go under," Shishi remarked coldly, bringing his fist close to his face to work on damning those that had his mark while the others did the same. "You all shall be our protectors of this secret. You will kill any who are not of your kind."

Scarlet remained asleep as the destruction of Wind Knoll was going on outside of her very house. She could smell the fire, but she couldn't find it within herself to move. The symbols on her palms began to glow before causing a contamination of her skin color. The black streaks in her hair seemed to spread randomly about her hair to cover up the blond she once had.

Chris ran back to his house to hide from the destruction going on outside about the town. He knew that the wind demon and the others were gone from his house, knowing he had nothing to fear as he made it inside. "Scarlet!" He yelled, locking the door behind him before running down the hallway to look up the stairs. "Scarlet, where the hell are you!" Running up the stairs, he saw her door was cracked a bit. "Blasted woman, we had to get out of here…!" He caught his words when he saw Scarlet wasn't within the bed where he figured she would be. His eyes catching something within the far corner of the room, Chris caught his breath to find someone standing there with their hair a pitch black color—the hair almost seemed to meld within the dark shadows about it. "Scarlet…?" He wondered breathlessly.

Turning around slowly, Scarlet's blotchy, zombie like complexion could be seen within the poor lighting of the room. Her long, black hair nearly covered the sides of her face. Opening her eyes, they were a dull white color. It was almost as if she were blind. Stepping forwards, her hair peeled from the walls about her while the rest acted alive. The black tresses slithered about the room within the shadows to make it to where Chris was currently standing. The hair wrapped about his ankles and wrists to prevent him from moving. All Scarlet knew was that she had to go about what she was asked. She had to kill those that weren't tainted by the demonic worshipping.

Getting inches from his face, her cold, dead breath expelled upon her father's face as she breathed. Opening her mouth, she bit into his neck with a shrieking cry causing blood to spill everywhere upon her dresser and the nearest wall. She allowed Chris to convulse a bit before he fell to the ground. Scarlet remained on her feet with blood dripping from her mouth and teeth. Looking down at the man, she giggled eerily, as the darkness that was her hair and part of her robe engulfed the only light that the man could see.

"You're…a monster…!" Were Chris' last words to her before he was eaten into by the demonically transformed Scarlet.

_I knew what I was. I still know what I am regardless of walking this very house in confusion of what to do next. I was given orders from the very demons I loved to kill anybody who dared walk upon this cursed town. Deep down inside, I knew I was waiting for someone, and I still am…I am waiting for __**him**__. His face might be becoming a distant memory, but I can still vaguely recall him. I am hoping someday he will return for me. I can live like this…but I cannot live without his love._

_But I warn you now…_

_Stay out of Wind Knoll, and stay out of my house…because if you come near me, I am hungry, and I am angry, and I cannot promise that I won't kill you for trespassing upon my town._


	43. Chapter 43

_**Author's Notes**_: Haha, sorry if I ever gave the delusion that the story was over at that point. While it would be a very nice place to stop things, that would leave way for a sequel. Also, that ending would be _**too**_ depressing for my taste. There should be about (I estimate) 5 or so chapters till it is over finally. We shall see what I manage with. Sorry for it taking so long to get wrapped up. D:

* * *

Eventually, Wind Knoll's buildings were being rebuilt from the ground up. The temples were left alone, as nobody expected the 'Gods' to return. Everyone already saw them in their glory, and those left alive felt ashamed of their foolishness. The debris of the temples was left where they were, as nobody could remove what remained of them without getting attacked in some form. Besides, the plans to remove what was left standing would take all night…and at night was when things changed…

Three boys stood outside of the old Bakers' house. They were teenagers that had just gotten out of school and wanting to find something else to do. The door to the old, decrepit house was boarded up from the outside, as were the windows.

"They say that the old wife of the wind demon lives here," the blond haired boy explained to the others nearby, as he stayed situated on his bicycle. "She attacked her stepfather and ate his face off before taking his skull for part of her collection."

The shaggy, redhead in the group shook his head with a 'tch' sound. "She didn't do it because she was born a demon. She was cursed with the town like everybody else!" He explained in Scarlet's defense. "The woman worshipped the wind demon, so because of her sin, she was damned forever."

"I heard she worshipped someone else too, but I don't know," said the other boy in the group, who had curly, strawberry blond hair. It had been years since Wind Knoll had been cursed, and the foundation as well as some stories got twisted about involving everything.

"Well, they call her the Demon Mother," the blond went onwards to explain, as he put his bike down to walk up the cracked driveway. "Supposedly, when she was here, she got into a fight with the wind demon, and he killed the baby they were going to have."

"Luke, that's not true!" The strawberry blond teen remarked with a shake of his head.

"How do you remember it then, Keith!" Luke exclaimed, as he looked through the boards to try and see into the abandoned building. He was intent on getting inside, just to see if the rumors were real.

"It was her stepfather that hit her so hard that the baby died inside of her. It wasn't the wind demon," Keith explained from behind his friend. "What are you doing? We shouldn't be here; you know that, Luke!"

"I just want to see what is in this house," Luke insisted, as he tore one of the boards off. "I want to know if everything everybody says is true when nightfall hits." He knew it would be a bit before the sun fell behind the mountains, but he wanted to look inside and see if anything interesting was about. "Come and help us, Mark!"

"What if the stories are true?" Mark wondered, as he made his way over towards the boarded door to try and get it open as well. "I mean, the town elders told everyone to stay away from here. She killed people before, they claim! They say some were sent here to find what the cries at night were, and she devoured those that dared step foot within her house. That's why the house is shut off like this!"

"Stop bitching," Luke grumbled, as he removed the last board with the others. "There—now, let's see what exactly is in here." He dug into his backpack to pull out his flashlight he brought with him. "Everyone remembered to bring these, right?"

Mark and Keith both showed their source of light to Luke. As the electricity to the building was cut off years ago, they needed some way to be able to see about the dark house at night.

"So what exactly does the Demon Mother do?" Mark inquired curiously, as they walked over the noisy floorboards. "I heard she rips people's faces off."

"No, you idiot," Luke insulted, as he continued towards the kitchen. "She eats people, as well as their souls, I heard. After the body rots, she takes the skull and puts it away in her private collection." He carefully stepped over the broken glass all over the rotted floorboards to look at some of the china that was still left in one piece but covered in cobwebs. "They say she hopes that her one true love will step through those doors, but the wind demon isn't coming back. She is damned here forever."

"Where is her room? I know she is said to reside there mostly," Keith stated, as he was standing around in the living room.

"I am sure it is up these steps," Mark called from the hallway, as he gazed up them from the foot of them. The others coming to join him, he wasn't noticing that the other guys were looking at him closely. "So who is going up there?"

"I say _**you**_ do it," Luke insisted, nudging the redhead forwards with Keith's help.

"What-wait-no!" Mark held onto the dusty railing tightly, not wishing to budge from where he was standing on the second step. "Why me!" He exclaimed in wonder between them.

"You're the scared one that didn't want to come to begin with," Keith pointed out, his arms crossed over his chest. "Why not grow a pair and go upstairs and see if she's there?"

Mark shook his head, not wishing to be devoured. "You guys are nuts!"

"Stop acting like you're going to wet yourself!" Luke insisted with a chuckling sigh. "The sun won't set for another ten minutes or so. You have more than enough time to go upstairs and tell us what you see."

Mark bit his lower lip before gazing up the stairs at the dimly lit upper part of the house. "Fine! But you guys owe me big for this…!" Getting to his feet, Mark headed up the staircase slowly to the very top to find the door that once belonged to Cynthia's bedroom was smashed and splintered upon the floor still from the force Kurama had put into it. Stepping inside of the room nervously, he looked around to find nothing in particular except for a statue of Touya on the nightstand with an old picture frame. He got closer to the nightstand to get a good look at the old, worn picture. He didn't recognize the young, blond in the image, but Mark did understand it was obviously a mother with her daughter. "Wonder if that is the Demon Mother when she was alive," he mumbled to himself, looking at Cynthia's younger self.

He still wasn't sure if that was the girl's bedroom or not, so he made his way back out into the hallway to head over to where Scarlet's bedroom was. Opening the door slowly, Mark stepped inside to curiously look around. He couldn't help but nearly withdraw back at the horrible smell within the room. Not able to place his finger on what it was exactly, he stepped inside with his arm up to his nose and mouth to block the scent.

When he stepped into the room, everything looked normal to him. Mark gazed about the dresser to find an assortment of things that involved dusty jewelry and torn papers. He couldn't help but pick up one of the documents. "How I miss the wind demon and await the day he returns to me before I forget," Mark read best he could, as the writing was large and all over the place as Scarlet's mind began to deteriorate when she wrote it. "So this must be the Demon Mother's room."

"What's taking him so long?" Keith wondered irritably to Luke. "The sun is going to set any minute now, and I want to get out of here before that happens."

Luke looked out the old windows to see the light of the sun starting to slowly fade through the cracks of the boards covering them. "Mark, get out of there!"

Upon hearing Luke's voice, Mark spun around to find the last light leave Wind Knoll. Running towards the door, which was still opened, he found it quickly shutting in his face. "Let me out!" He yelled, banging his fist on the door. From where he stood, he watched in horror as the room began to change slowly under the influences of nightfall.

The facade of the dusty, abandoned room began to peel away like paint from the walls. Everything was replaced with bloodstains on the walls and floors and rust littered all areas of the room. It was like this every night. The mask was rotted away to reveal the truth that had happened those many years ago when the sun went down. Mark moved upon the stained floor to find a blood trail leading into the bathroom. Nervously, he headed towards the stained tiles of the bathroom to look around and find the medicine cabinet was nearly in shambles. The glass upon it was rusted and blooded from someone either being rammed within it or someone punching it.

Mark got closer to the sink to find bloodstains all over it. In the reflection of the mirror, a black figured went from one side of the doorway to the other and a brief, warped sobbing could be heard, alerting the young man. Grabbing his flashlight, he turned it on to point at the doorway to find nothing there. "H-Hello…?" He asked nervously, as he stepped back into the frame of the doorway to look about the room. "Is somebody there?"

Not getting a response, the frightened redhead turned towards the shower curtain hanging loosely where it was once placed. Slowly he stepped over towards it to put his fingers upon the decayed fabric before throwing it back. Horror overtaking his expression, he backed up till he felt the wall behind him preventing Mark from going anywhere further. In the tub was nothing but water filled with old blood and partial skeletons of those that had ventured into the house and never made it out alive. All he could clearly see above the water was the skulls.

"Oh God!" He yelled, trying to run for the bedroom door once more only to stop himself when he heard the faint crying yet again. Turning around slowly, Mark looked to the cabinet mirror in the bathroom to watch as something black began to form from the shadows of the room.

Scarlet seemed to slowly peel herself from the darkness upon the wall. Her long, flowing hair and robes acting as the shadows cascading over the area moved with her like each part was alive. Opening her off-white pupils, she exposed her blooded teeth to the trespasser. The rest of her body pulling from the mirror, it looked as though the walls, which kept her, snapped back like skin ripping apart from an injury as the cursed woman made herself known.

Mark was paralyzed, finding himself unable to move. All he could see of her was the exposed, decayed flesh upon her face and those on her arms and chest. The rest of her just looked so black that the demon woman blended in with the dusk lighting. It made him feel as though she were everywhere, and Scarlet was.

Stepping slowly forwards, she could tell that the man in front of her was a human being. She could hear his heart rapidly beating, and it enticed her all the same knowing that he was afraid of her. Upon the ground, her hair slithered like snakes rapidly approaching its victim. The strands of hair crawled up Mark's body, nearly encasing him entirely while the rest waved about upon the walls. Coming closer to the boy's face, Scarlet's dead breath caressed him. Just as she was inching in closer to bite him, she stopped when noticing something familiar about his face. The shaggy red hair reminded her of the one she had lost years ago, prompting her mouth to drop into shock before realizing there were differences between him and the wind demon was still waiting for.

Growling angrily, she released Mark from the entanglement of her hair and released the hold she had on her door with her powers. The door swinging open, Luke and Keith both grabbed the frightened redhead to pull him outside. All three boys stood there in fearful dismay at the sight of the Demon Mother.

"My God, let's get out of here!" Luke demanded, pushing the others to hurry down the stairs so they could escape.

Scarlet didn't care if the redhead went free. However, she wasn't about to let the others have the same privilege. Getting on her hands and knees, she crawled upon the ceiling on the outside of her room before making it down towards the stairs at a quick pace. Her hair, which was trailing about in the darkness that devoured the town, coiled around Keith's ankle to trip up the teenage boy.

Mark and Luke had just made it outside of the house to turn around and see Keith caught. As they were heading back towards the front door to try and help him free, the door slammed in their faces rather quickly to prevent them from coming inside. From that moment, all they could hear was Keith's cries of agony, which echoed throughout Lavender Lane.

The cries settling and the body and soul disposed of, Scarlet found herself sitting upon her old bed that night. Blood continued to drip from her hands and face, as she didn't bother to wipe it away. Turning her head slightly towards the windows, she could vaguely remember Jin coming and going from her windowpane when she used to live in that house.

"_Oh, and a word of advice," _Scarlet remembered Jin responding from the windowsill that night she beckoned to him. She could almost see him there again talking to her. _"Whatever you do, don't listen to those girls at the store you're working at. They may be right in knowing we're demons but their worship and incantations are something that they have spilled black blood all over. I've asked them countless times to stop with Hiei and Shishiwakamaru but it sadly never works. I'm beginning to believe they are completely shut off to us now with how dark their practices are."_

She watched from where she was sitting as the image dissolved from her mind. Moving from where she was, she made her way over towards the window to look out at the cursed town. The sound of the damned walking the roads affected her very little. She knew they were almost like her brothers and sisters in the matter. Scarlet knew that the boards had been removed from her house, leaving nothing at all from keeping her locked within her home anymore. Vanishing from the broken window, she disappeared within the building once more.

**(XX)**

Jin gazed up at the star filled sky that night within the depths of Makai. He was within the demon city, thinking back on the many years he had devoted to the humans he held in high regard. While everyone else was slowly adjusting to normal life again, he found himself unable to consider it. Hearing the door open to his bedroom in the apartment he shared with Touya, Jin didn't bother looking over at the ice master. He always knew who it was.

"I have dinner ready should you want to eat," Touya sighed from the doorway. He knew Jin hadn't been himself in so long since the curse befalling the town they watched over for many years. "Jin, come on." He walked further into the room to grab onto the wind demon's upper arm to shake and gently pull him at the same time. "You have to eat something."

"I'll eat when I am ready," Jin mumbled. He never felt like eating when he was supposed to.

"Christ, Jin, it has been ten years! Let it go, already." Touya had a difficult time accepting it as well, but he knew he couldn't mourn forever. He sat down on the bed Jin was upon.

Jin was offended Touya would suggest such a thing, but he kept the words he wanted to say about it to himself for the time being. "Do you ever think about her?" The redhead inquired curiously. "Do you ever think about Cynthia and what became of her when we burned the town?"

Touya looked over at his partner with a shake of his head in disgust. "That's not fair. Besides, if I recall correctly, it was you who tipped the vote and caused the entire town to burn—not _**me**_!" He knew that was a rotten thing to say, causing him to swallow hard. "I am sorry, but, yes, I do. Everyday I worry what had become of her." He paused briefly. "I also worry about Scarlet."

Sighing through his nostrils, Jin lowered his chin upon his overlapping arms upon the windowsill. "I just knew she wouldn't have been able to handle losing the baby. It was the only thing that came to my mind…I was so mad."

"I told her that I would basically come and relieve her of the nightmare that would soon befall her," Touya explained, remembering that night. "I just never had it within me to go back and do such a thing. It would be too much to walk through just to find her."

"If we went back, we could find Cynthia as well," Jin pointed out, hoping to change Touya's thoughts on the matter.

"Please, don't talk about her," the ice master begged, as he pushed himself up to his feet. "Well, at any rate, dinner is ready should you want to eat." Walking outside into the hallway, Touya sighed heavily having to be reminded of Cynthia. He made his way down to the dinning room table, so he could at least eat that night before bed. As he began to do so, he found his mind wandering back to the times he spent with Cynthia when she was growing up and whenever he went to sleep and dove into the spiritual world. The dreadful thoughts of demons torturing and raping her about drove him to the brink of madness, as Touya placed his hands upon his head.

Jin was lying in the bed thinking about Wind Knoll still when the door reopened to reveal Touya once more moments later. He could tell something was on the ice master's mind. Sitting upright in bed, Jin removed his arms from behind his head. "Touya? What is it?"

"Let's go back to Wind Knoll," Touya managed to say. He couldn't handle the thoughts of what Cynthia was going through anymore.

* * *

A red SUV drove down the road that led in the direction of where Wind Knoll once stood early the next day. A man with wavy brown hair and a bit of freckles spotting his face was at the wheel. He looked identical to Justin Thompson, the high priest once belonging to Jin. In his passenger seat was a blond female, who was reading the map she was given to navigate through.

"Are you sure this is wise, Jason?" The female looked to be in her late thirties or early forties. "Justin had his reasons for leaving, I am sure."

"My twin brother was insane to do so, Carol," Jason grumbled from the wheel of the car. "For years growing up, he claimed something was calling him, so he got into his car and drove to that damned town. I supported his decision in the matter to move there, but when he suddenly stopped calling, I knew something was wrong. I know that damn town probably swallowed him up."

"I am sure you're just over reacting again, man," the guy in the backseat remarked. He was a bit overweight with dyed green hair and an almost black looking goatee. "Didn't you say he was like a priest or something in this town?"

"He was a high priest of the wind and fire demons, Kirk," Jason grumbled in disgust. He never could believe that his twin brother fell so far in his eyes. Looking over at Carol, Jason nodded at her before turning his attention back on the road ahead. "Where to next?"

"Umm, It just says to keep following this road," Carol mentioned, pulling some of her blond hair behind her ear to keep the long, thin strands out of her face. "Eventually, there should be another obscure road that will lead us into the woods and to where Wind Knoll is."

Jason sighed irritably, as he felt he had been on the road for countless hours. "Will you just give me the map? I am sure you're reading it wrong."

Carol slapped away his oncoming hand with a quick chastising point to the man driving. "I am not reading it wrong! It is just going to take us awhile, so shut up, and drive!"

As the two bickered at one another, Kirk could clearly see someone wandering into the road causing him to point it out quickly. "Look out!" He yelled over their risen voices.

Jason turned his attention to the street to see what Kirk was pointing out. Grabbing onto the wheel, he spun it quickly to make a quick right turn. He ignored the screaming of the others, as the SUV weaved about the dirt road they found themselves upon soon enough. It led them right into the woods surrounding the area. Jason tried his best to avoid hitting any trees, but to no avail, as the front of his car smashed right into the trunk of one head on. The force of it caused everyone to blank out for a moment.

Slowly coming too, Jason rubbed his forehead from where he had found himself hitting the airbag. "Dammit, what the hell was that?" Looking over at Carol, he reached over to shake her gently. "Carol! Carol, wake up!"

Carol moaned softly while opening her brown eyes to the hazy sight about her. "What happened? Where are we?"

"We're in the woods," Kirk responded from the backseat, as he opened the side door to let himself out into the murky forest surrounding them currently. "We better find a way to get out of here and fast. I can imagine that when night falls, it'll be difficult to find our way back to the road."

"We have plenty of time then," Jason sighed, as he looked at the damage done to his car. Running his fingers through his hair, he let out a swear before kicking the front left tire with his brown hoot he was wearing. "Wind Knoll was said to be in these woods, so let's find the damn place." Walking over to Carol, he took the map from her. He couldn't find it within himself to allow her to continue reading it. "This way." Jason nodded ahead, past the tree they had smashed into.

Night was nearly falling as the trio continued their journey about the woodlands. Kirk and Carol felt as though they were about to roll over and pass out from exhaustion any minute while Jason kept on. "I am beginning to wonder if this town even exists," Jason pondered, as he looked at the map once more.

"It probably does," Carol huffed, as she made it beside her friend. "But maybe somebody is holding the damn map wrong!" She wasn't about to believe they were lost. The last thing she wanted was to be wandering endlessly in a maze of trees.

Kirk realized that the steady fog about them was starting to get thicker. It was beginning to worry him a bit. "I say we keep following what is left of this trail. We have to run into something. Either that, or we stay lost out here. This fog is getting worse."

"Come on," Jason urged, hurrying further down the road before them. When the last bit of sunlight disappeared over the mountainside, he found himself feeling unnerved by the surrounding trees. The sound of eerie laughter echoing about him, he began to run as quickly as possible to a slight orb of light Jason could see further ahead of him.

"Jason, wait!" Carol called out, as the man was nearly leaving them behind.

He refused to wait. He wanted to feel as though he were safe. When the light disappeared, Jason, however, came to a slow stop. Sighing in defeat, he leaned against the nearest object, which he thought was a tree, only to find it was made of metal. Blinking in confusing, his eyes gazed up to see a soot covered and rusty sign that said: Welcome to Wind Knoll.

"Jason!" Kirk seemed to scold exhaustedly. "What's the big idea? The last thing we need is to get separated!" Before he could yell further, he looked up to see the sign that Jason too was dwelling upon. "Whoa…" Kirk hitched in breath, as he looked around what was left of the town. The roads were cracked and had blood nearly painting every few areas red. "What happened here…?"

"God dammit, I knew something happened!" Jason growled, as he hurried out into the streets. "Justin!" He yelled, hoping to have his twin brother answer him. "Justin, where are you!" Turning the corner, it was as if the town was deserted. The windows were broken and the doors appeared unlocked. Any neon sign that was still left on flickered as they threatened to burn out. "What the hell happened here…?"

Watching her step, Carol made it to one of the liquor stores nearby. She could hear music coming from within it. "Justin. Kirk. Come here." Waving the boys over, she opened the door to the store to hear the bell ring to announce their arrival within the dark building.

The only lighting was a snowy-screened TV in the upper right corner above the checkout counter. Some old liquor bottles still lined the shelves while the others were smashed upon the floor. Mindful of the glass littering the ground, Kirk made his way to the front of his friends to check out what was behind the counter. He found the radio playing just inside of one of the shelves behind the desk. "Hello? Is somebody here?" Kirk called, as he shut off the radio, to avoid there being anymore noise.

Thinking she heard something behind her, Carol spun around to witness one of the broken bottles on the floor move slightly from side to side via disturbance of some kind. "Something doesn't feel right. We should leave," she insisted, tugging on Jason's brown, leather jacket.

"Not without my brother!" Jason hissed angrily, pulling away from Carol to head to the door where staff workers were only allowed. "Hello? Is anybody here?" He asked, trying the light switch only to get nothing in response. "This is what I get for leaving home without a flashlight."

Kirk knew there had to be a flashlight of some kind in the liquor store as he worked at one before when he was younger. Opening the drawers, he shifted through the papers and porn magazines to find one sure enough. He turned it on quickly to check and make sure it worked before tossing it to Jason. "Hey, Jay, catch!'

Catching the flashlight, Jason turned it on to search into the back room to find more stashes of different types of beer in boxes. The light panning around the dark closet, he stopped when he came across a blooded drape over some kind of figure. Jason slowly inched closer to the tarp to reach down and grab the edge with his fingers. He was hesitant about pulling it off at first, but he had to know what was behind it. When he jerked it away, he was horrified to see a burn and partially decomposed body lying there.

Carol screamed, as she turned around quickly she hurried out of the room only to find a disgruntled creature there waiting for her. It looked human but it that had its legs and arms bent in a sickening fashion to where the body crawled like a dog. The body was charred and the veins seemed to boil above the surface of the skin like lava. When its mouth opened, it breathed out a brief form of black flame.

Kirk reflexes were to kick the beast, and he did to keep it away from Carol, so all three of them could escape. As they ran through the store, they could hear the creature screaming as it burned most of the building with its flaming breath. Knowing that the fire would cause a reaction, all of them just managing to get out in time as the entire building went up in flames. Kirk guarded Jason and Carol with his own body to prevent any glass from getting on them during the blast.

"What the hell was that thing?" Jason asked aloud in shock, as he was helped to his feet thanks to his friend.

"It had a weird mark on its back," Kirk pointed out, as he dusted the glass off of his shirt carefully. "It looked like a Celtic flame symbol or something."

"What in God's name is going on here?" Jason wondered between them, as he looked up at the night sky with a shake of his head. He looked about the empty roads filled with nothing but old, beat up cars with a worrisome shake of his had. "Where are you Justin…?"


	44. Chapter 44

Jason continued walking about the town with the other two beside him. Fog was everywhere, but he could just make out what was about the town. Every moan and growl put him on edge after the previous incident at the liquor store. "There has got to be a place we can go to, so we can rest for awhile."

"How can you even imagine sleeping in this dump? This place is cursed!" Kirk felt the need to point out. "Whatever happened here probably killed everyone."

"Don't say that!" Jason growled at his friend with a wave of his hand at Kirk's words. "We should wait till morning to continue our search. There has to be apartments around here somewhere." Continuing down the roads, Jason eventually came upon a few small motel rooms on Willard Drive. With the forest so close to where they would be staying, Jason had to admit a bit of fear in wanting to stay there, but he knew there was no other option.

Carol stepped forwards to gaze out at the dreary, dead woodlands before them with a harsh swallow. She could hear the damned moaning and screaming further down the road. "What do you supposes is down there? It sounds like there are quite a few of them further into the forest."

"I don't know," Jason said, as he opened one of the doors to the motel. "And quite frankly, I don't want to know. I just want to find Justin and get the hell out of here as soon as we can."

"But what if you can't find him!" Carol didn't feel like wandering the streets alone at night. She had a feeling that the mornings might not be that much better.

"I will find him!" The man sighed with a shake of his head. "Now, come on. Let's get inside. I am sure nothing can find us in here." Once everyone was inside of the cheap looking motel room, Jason shut the door behind them and locked it. He also went around to make sure all of the windows were locked so nothing could slip in to surprise them. Turning on the flashlight, he placed it on the nightstand in the room to help light the room a bit better. There were only two beds and a small sofa near one of the windows. A TV was in the room as well, but Jason knew it probably wouldn't work, so he didn't bother touching the dusty remote in the room.

Kirk realized that somebody would have to take the sofa, so he raised his hand to the matter. "You guys can get the beds. I'll take the sofa." Taking off his jacket, he tossed it upon the floor before trying out the softness of the couch in the room. Seeing as he was tired, he wasn't about to complain about how tough it felt beneath him.

Carol was a bit resistant to sleep, as she kicked her shoes off onto the stained floor beneath her. "What if those things about the town manage to come inside and get us?"

"I'll make sure they don't," Jason insisted, as he rested his back against the headboard of the bed he was on. "I'll keep watch until you guys fall asleep. I don't think I'll be able to sleep too much with Justin on my mind."

"At least get some sleep," Carol insisted, not wanting the man to be tired later when they were to continue their search. She grabbed onto the covers to pull over her body and attempt her best to sleep. The cries of the damned made it hard. Covering her ears, Carol closed her eyes tightly to try and block it all out.

* * *

"Jason!" Carol called, as she shook him from his slumber. "Jason, wake up!"

Grumbling, he massaged between his eyes from the feel of the light touching him through the windows. "What is it?" He yawned, forgetting where he was momentarily. His eyes gazing about the motel room, he found that everything appeared normal. Recalling what happened last night, Jason threw the covers off of himself and got to his feet to find nothing was broken and nothing was stained with the usual rust and blood. "What happened? Everything looks…normal."

"The town is the same way," Kirk pointed out, as he looked through the blinds hanging over the window nearest to him. "Everything looks like it was never disturbed."

Jason grabbed onto his jacket and shirt to put both back on quickly, as he headed outside of the motel room to look up and down Willard Drive to find everything in perfect shape and condition. "What the hell happened…? We all couldn't have been dreaming last night." As he stood there in shock, he noticed someone further up the street walking across the road. "Hey! Hey, you!" Jason took off after the figure he saw. "Wait!" He watched as they disappeared into a local bookstore.

Carol and Kirk followed behind Jason, making their way into the store as well. Walking into the bookstore, they found it void of many people. Books were perfectly upon the shelves and in the display cases up front. Not a thing was out of order. Spying one of the workers there, Jason jogged towards them in hopes to get some answers.

"Hey, I need to talk to you!" Jason insisted, as he grabbed onto the shoulder of the white haired man, who appeared in his thirties or so. "What is going on here?" He looked down at the nametag on his shirt. "Andy is your name, right?"

"It would appear so given my nametag," Andy remarked almost coldly, as he continued to look through the books on the shelf. "What is it you'd like to know?"

"My friends and I came here at nightfall, and everything was different," Jason explained, as he followed Andy around the store. "We were chased by some damned thing that breathed fire, and it nearly burned us alive! Blood was everywhere, the roads were cracked and everything!"

Andy sighed heavily, as he turned around to meet Jason face-to-face. "It was the curse that was placed upon the town," he explained with a clear expression void upon his face. "At nightfall everything changes to how it was that day that the demons cursed the town and burned it." His fingers tapped upon the book in his hands. He couldn't help but be reminded of that day. "And those of us who just live here are forced to spend our nights in fear. We cannot escape. The curse won't let us."

"What about those monsters out there!" Carol desired to know. The image of the flaming creature couldn't escape her mind as she slept and even awake it still haunted her. "What about that creature made of fire?"

"It had some kind of symbol on it," Kirk went onwards to explain, as he rubbed the hair upon his chin. "It looked like a Celtic flame."

Andy shook his head and sighed. "That must have been one of the fire demon's worshippers. Anybody in this town that was baptized under a demon befell the curse and can only walk the town at night." Putting up the book he had, Andy pushed his way past the strangers to continue on his daily work schedule.

"What about my brother?" Jason demanded to know. "Hey, I am not through talking with you just yet!" He hurried after Andy to grab the man by his shirt collar. "I want to know what happened to my brother, Justin Thompson. Have you seen him?"

Andy didn't budge in emotions, regardless of how threatening Jason was trying to be. If he were ever killed, it would be a sort of reprieve from the town's clutches. "I've heard of Justin Thompson, but I will tell you this—you better hope you don't ever run into him." When Jason released his shirt, he straightened out his collar.

"Why? Why do you say that?" Jason didn't want to believe that anything horrible befell his twin brother.

"Your brother was a high priest under the wind demon," Andy explained further with a shrug of his shoulders. "The symbol on his hand overtook his body and he became a monster like everyone else in this town." He was quiet, allowing his words to sink into Jason's mind. "If it is your brother you're searching for, you've come here in vain. He'll only come out at nightfall, and if he finds you, he will kill you."

"What-I don't understand…!" Jason cupped his head within his hands, unable to let all of it sink in. "Why is this happening? I still don't understand what you're talking about!"

Andy exhaled irritably at Jason's inability to grasp what was going on. "Welcome to Wind Knoll," he mumbled almost morbidly, as he walked back to the front counter to make sure everything was in order.

Carol knew nothing else could come out of asking more about Wind Knoll, prompting her to grab Jason by the arm and tug him gently. "Jason, come on; let's get out of here. Obviously, we're not going to find Justin here anymore if what he says is true."

Angry about these turn of events, Jason stormed out of the bookstore they were within to head back out onto the streets. Finding a bench not too far from them, he sat down almost looking defeating once he managed to recollect himself. "All this way, and possibly, for nothing. Please tell me I didn't lose my brother to the damned." He looked over at his sympathetic friends. "Don't tell me I lost my brother."

"I don't know what's going on, Jason," Carol admitted with a heavy sigh, as she joined him on the bench. "All I do know is we better get something to eat and find a way out of here, or we'll be stuck here forever as well."

"She's right," Kirk chimed in from the sidelines. "Whether we find Justin or not, we have to get out of here."

The three managed to make it to a nearby bar and grill. Once again, hardly anybody was within the building. There was a female bartender in her early twenties cleaning the wooden countertop when they all walked in. The brunette looked up from her duties, not recognizing the newcomers. She could tell by their expressions alone that they were obviously from not around the town.

"Can't say I recognize you folks," she pointed out. Wiping her hands off on another rag, she tossed it into the cleaning bucket behind the bar. "What unfortunate bastards you are to have come stumbling here." She situated her short, tight white shirt on her body slightly as it was bugging her. "What can I get for you?"

"Something strong drink wise," Kirk insisted, as he sat at the bar with the others.

"There is nothing strong enough to block out the fear, my dear," the bartender said, as she tossed menus in their direction. "So what brings you all around Wind Knoll?"

Jason caught the nametag on the woman. "Well, Susan, I am looking for my twin brother, Justin Thompson. I know he is here, but I was told he was cursed with this town."

"Rough," Susan sighed, as she continued to clean a few beer glasses. "If he was baptized under any of the demons, you'll have no hope of finding him. He's damned and will never return to the way he was."

"How do you know that!" Jason exclaimed, slamming his fists down on the countertop. "There could be a way to reverse it!"

"Wishful thinking." Susan wasn't about to get her hopes up on the matter, knowing that the hell was to be their torture. "I would say if you plan on sticking around to be mindful of the Demon Mother."

"What is that?" Kirk asked with a raise of his brow.

"She was said to be the wife to the wind demon," Susan explained, as she leaned against the wooden countertop. "I don't know the whole story, but I do know that something happened to cause the wind demon to curse the entire town. She is said to walk these very streets looking for him." When she was pointed to the drinks that each one wanted, she went about making them. "The Demon Mother used to be holed up within her house down on Lavender Lane at the Bakers' home, but somebody removed the boards, and she got free."

"What was her real name?" Carol wondered, as she was given her drink. She took a straw to stir it a bit before bothering to try a taste.

"Nobody knows or remembers her real name," Susan answered, as she crossed her arms upon the counter. "It was so long ago whenever she was spoken about. Besides, anybody that would is long gone now."

"Do they ever expect the demons to return?" Jason asked, cupping his head in his hand trying to think there was someway his brother could be saved. "Maybe if they returned, the curse could be lifted."

"They're not coming back." Susan pulled herself from the wooden surface with a disappointed sigh in the matter. "They left us to rot in our hell. All because of one incident nobody even knows about." She checked the time on the clock just behind her. "You guys better hurry up and decide what to order. Everything around here closes at five."

**(XX)**

With their meal finished, Jason stepped back out onto the streets again to find everything was indeed closing at five that evening. All of the people, who were still left alive, quickly locked up the buildings before hurrying to wherever it was they all stayed. He could see that the sun was working on setting and before long, Wind Knoll would be back to ruins for the nightfall. "I wonder who that Demon Mother is," he said almost randomly to the others.

"Jason!" Carol scolded between them. "Don't tell me you're going to go looking for that thing."

"What good would it do you anyways, Jay?" Kirk was interested to know with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

"I want to know who she is, and I want to believe I can possibly entice that wind bastard back here." With that expressed through his teeth, Jason tore down the streets ahead. "If you guys want to come with me, you can. If you don't wish to, head back to the motel room. I'll see you there."

"Jason, you're crazy!" Carol yelled down the street, watching as the man hurried towards Lavender Lane, which they came across earlier when they arrived. Sighing angrily in defeat, she waved over her shoulder at Kirk. "Let's go before the idiot gets himself in trouble!"

Hurrying down the man roads as quickly as possible, Jason managed to find it to Lavender Lane. Jogging up the street, he looked for the Bakers' mailbox. Upon finding it, Jason looked over at the old building. It was the one house that looked as though it happened been touched in years. "Come on," Jason said to Carol and Kirk, as he hurried to the front door to open it.

"Within the hour, the sun is going to set," Kirk estimated, as he caught the time on his watch. "You better hurry and find whatever it is you're looking for, so we can get back to the motel room."

"I just want to find out who she was and find a way to save my brother," Jason insisted, as he looked through the desolate house and hurried up the stairs. He knew that a majority of bedrooms were on the top floor in a two-layer house. Hurrying into Cynthia's, he looked over at the nightstand to find the picture and the statue of Touya there collecting dust. He couldn't make sense of who was in the picture as he rummaged through the nightstand drawer.

Carol followed behind Jason. She stood in the doorway with her arms about her chest. "What could you possibly be looking for? Just because you might get to know who she is won't spare you the fact that you'll have to capture her. I think if this kind of demon gets a name for herself, that can mean trouble."

"I don't care!" Jason yelled, throwing the nightstand drawer upon the floor. "If she's escaped, I am sure there is somewhere she is heading. Every creature, even the damned, goes to places they are most familiar with!"

Looking at the papers now scattered upon the floor, the blond woman knelt down to scoop up one in particular. "Whoever this woman was, her name is Cynthia. Looks like she worshipped the ice demon that once lived here." When she felt she had Jason's attention, she showed the piece of paper that appeared to be a torn diary page from the woman's journal, which now was lying upon the stained carpet.

Jason took the page to look over it curiously. "She worshipped the ice demon, though," he expressed through his labored breaths. "The one we're looking for worshipped the wind demon." His eyes continued to skim the page until noticing an important note. "She had a daughter. I bet that daughter is who we're looking for."

Kirk had already beaten them to the room belonging to Scarlet. He was looking through the many pieces of paper that Scarlet had written and drawn upon when she was there in that room. They all looked dated and almost to have been done by an elementary school child. Hearing Jason enter, he shot his head up with a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that."

"Did you find anything?" Jason hurried beside Kirk to look through the random doodles and horribly written stories to find nothing in particular.

"Nothing but her old art and literature," Kirk responded, as he tossed them on the ground with a roll of his shoulders. Removing himself from the desk Scarlet used to write upon, he moved to the nightstand to look there. "If you know she was the wind demon's lover, why not just find a way to the Wind Temple? I am sure that would make more sense than trying to dig up anything here. If she lived there, I doubt we'll find anything in this room but old memories."

"But in order to even capture her, there has to be something of value she would come after." Jason was intent to find something. When he came up empty handed, he sighed irritably. "We might have no other alternative but to go to the temples she might have been to."

"That's a joke, right?" Carol chuckled nervously at the mere thought of heading to the temples that probably held many worshippers. "You want to walk into a death trap at _**night**_! You're insane, Jason!" She watched as Jason was still intent to get up and storm out of the building past Carol. "Jason!" She called after him, as she hurried behind the man down the stairs. "Jason, stop!" Grabbing onto his upper arm, she got him to stop at the foot of the staircase. "Look, I understand that you're desperate to save your brother, but what is done, is done! You cannot reverse what has already happened!"

"I'll do whatever it takes before arriving at that conclusion!" Jason hissed through his teeth, as he exited out of the building. He could see that the sun was just about to disappear over the mountainside. Exhaling heavily, he hurried back down the sidewalk as quickly as possible with Kirk and Carol following behind him.

"Jay, do you even know where you're going!" Kirk asked, as he struggled to keep up given the weight he had on his body. "I am sure neither one of us know where these temples are, and neither do you."

"This town isn't that big," Jason explained in his defense. "If I have to look all over this place, I will do it."

**(XX)**

Stepping back upon the outer area of Wind Knoll, Jin's wild red hair blew about in the tranquil wind. He was wearing his old, black ninja attire and had his swords he used back in the day. Looking down at Touya, he rolled his shoulders. "Are you ready?" Jin asked, as he moved the black mask over the slope of his nose to hide part of his face.

"Ready as I am going to be, I guess," Touya responded, as he did the same. Using his energy, the ice master began to quickly charge towards the town with Jin taking to the air.

They managed to make it to the town by nightfall. With Jin lowered to the ground, the two began to walk the destroyed Wind Knoll Town. The sounds of the damned were almost everywhere. Jin couldn't help but draw his sword, as he wasn't about to let anything get into his way of what he was searching for. "I guess we should split up," Jin admitted. "I know we both have different goals here, and I don't want to be here for long."

"I'll meet you back at the old Wind Temple." Touya didn't delay another second, as he hurried off into the town. He wanted to find Cynthia and bring her back as well as find a way to release all the other spirits that were possibly trapped in the walls.

Jason soon found his way to the old Ice Temple that once stood, almost in ruins, not far from Lavender Lane. Walking up to the front doors, he pulled them open slowly to see the inside of the dreary building. Part of the left wall was destroyed and blood painted the marble flooring. "One of these rooms has to belong to either her mother or her."

"Jason, you've got to start thinking realistically," Carol said, as she looked nervously about the main room. Every little thing that moved made her heart nearly stop. "There has got to be a thousand or so rooms here!"

Making it into the hallway, Jason looked over at an old map resting on the wall. Part of it was ripped and the edges were burned. "The demon himself had to have a room in this place. I am sure if we find that, we'll find just about everything we need." His finger trailing over the map, he came across a rather obscure section off to the side that was covered up by broken glass. "Fuck it," he grumbled, as he broke the glass to pull the diagram out of where it was. "Not like anybody here needs it."

"Will you keep it down!" Carol exclaimed between them. "We don't need anything coming out to eat us." She followed behind Jason only to find it getting colder by the minute. Trembling, she held onto her long-sleeved, black sweater she had on. "What's going on? Is it just me, or is the temperature really dropping?" Every word she spoke could be seen as crystalline vapor in front of her.

"I can feel it too," Kirk agreed, as he wrapped his jacket tighter around his body. "What the hell is going on?"

Stopping at just the end of the corridor, Jason looked over to the left hallway to find why. An old priestess of the ice demon was pulling herself over the charred carpet beneath her with a few of her broken fingers and nails. Every time she breathed, it sounded like a rasping sound. Her palms dug against the ground beneath her, causing ice to cover the areas she touched. When she looked up at the humans, the left part of her face was covered in ice crystals.

"This way!" Jason urged, as he pulled on Carol's upper arm to direct her and Kirk down the right corridor. As they hurried through the maze of hallways, he could hear the horrific screams of the demon that was after them. Jason brought up the map to check where he was supposed to go next. He stopped shortly down the hall to make a quick left. After a few more turns, he found a door at the end of one of the hallways that was slightly broken down. "There! That's it!"

Once everyone was inside, Kirk picked up the door to try and situate it and a few damaged pieces of furniture in front of the entrance. "Maybe this will keep that thing out of here."

Jason shined the flashlight around the room to find the desk where Touya often would write upon. Hurrying towards it, he began searching through the many papers quickly. "Here, take a stack, and help me find something about Cynthia or anybody named Baker."

Everyone searched through the papers that Touya had documented about many different worshippers within his care. There were stacks of them, and some were burned or even frozen stiff from the chill about the temple. It didn't stop either of them from continuing their search. As they looked incessantly for what they were hunting for, the room began dropping in temperature again.

"That thing is back…!" Carol panicked, as she got to her feet and hurried over towards the bed to be behind it.

Sure enough, the door, chair, and the dresser that Kirk had pushed in front of the entryway began to crystallize over in demonic ice. Everyone on the opposite side stood back, not wishing for the beast to find a way in to attack them. The demon woman could be heard clawing angrily away at the obstacle in her path while she screamed horrifically. Suddenly, on the other side, something appeared to be attacking her. The sound of skin being torn apart and blood spilling was heard from the opposite side of the door.

Jason was nervous about moving from where he was standing beside Kirk. Upon taking one step forwards, there came a harsh beating against the ice that had encased the door and the dresser. A powerful explosion breaking it all down, Jason and Kirk both brought their arms up to block the oncoming ice. Lowering his arms slowly, Jason saw the human looking Touya in the middle of the damaged doorway. "Who-who are you?" He asked.

"The question is, who are all of you?" Touya grumbled, as he removed the cloth from about his face. "And what the hell do you think you're doing here? This temple hasn't been active in many years now."

"We're looking for information on this Demon Mother," Carol responded from behind the bed. She wasn't sure if she should come out of hiding or not. "What are you doing here at night? It is a rather bold thing to do."

Touya raised his brow, confused as to what she was talking about. Wiping the blood on his sword off on a piece of fabric he had hidden in one of his pockets, he sighed as he sheathed his sword. "This is my old bedroom. Who is it you're talking about?"

"You're the ice demon!" Jason exclaimed as he pointed at the ice master. "One of you came back!" He wasn't about to touch the demon in fear of being injured. "You must help us. We're looking for information on some Baker person."

Hearing that last name struck a cord in his dead heart. "What Baker are you looking for: Cynthia or Scarlet Baker?"

"Is Scarlet Baker the wife of the wind demon?" Jason inquired eagerly.

"She was and she still is," Touya sighed, as he went over to his writing desk to look through all the papers he had on his desk. "Is there something specific you were wanting to know of?" He found it hard to even be within that room. It was still hard to believe all the souls that were lost and damned. Each one was calling out to him in desperation.

"What caused the wind demon to curse the town? Was it something to do with Scarlet?" Jason inched a bit closer to Touya, finding his personality not as intimidating as he thought it would be. He placed his hand upon the demon's shoulder only to jerk it back quickly at the chill.

"Do you really want to know that?" Touya looked over at Jason with a raise of his brow once more, eyeing the three curiously. Not hearing any obligations on the matter, he explained. "Jin had been lonely for many years, and so, Scarlet was his first servant girl that he got to keep close to his heart. Well, she was about maybe six or so months pregnant, and her stepfather kidnapped her and beat her back at the Bakers' house. He beat her so badly that she lost the baby." He looked over at Jason with a shake of his head, as Touya felt pity for his friend. "He was destroyed, so he voted on the town going under with his feelings."

"Look," Jason began eagerly, "I am looking for my twin brother, Justin Thompson, and so I need to find this 'Jin'. He's the wind demon, right?"

"I know who you're talking about, but I don't know if Jin can help you," Touya admitted, as he waved for them to follow him out of the room they were within. "Look, I have things I have to take care of here. If you want to look for Jin, he will end up back at the Wind Temple." He made his way out into the corridor to try and find his way to Cynthia's old bedroom. "I am to surmise that if you've made it this far without dying, you'll be fine finding your way there. Just stay together, be quiet, and find any weapons you possible can to defend yourselves."

"You're not going to help us!" Carol exclaimed in disbelief, as she followed behind the ice master at a decent range.

"I am afraid I have other matters, and if you stay around here, you'll get in trouble." He quickly unsheathed his sword to stop them for a moment before turning around to face them once more. "As for you, Jason, I am sure Jin will know who you're talking about. I wish you luck on the matter. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Touya disappeared from in front of the humans to head to the upper floor to look for Cynthia.


	45. Chapter 45

Touya made his way up the stairs to find the old room Cynthia was content to be within in the afterlife. He was relieved to see the chains still in place, as he released each one to enter inside of the bedroom. Closing the door behind him, the ice demon saw something near the bed as soon as he entered. "Cynthia…?" He wondered, as he inched closer to the sobbing spirit.

The spirit looked at Touya before it removed itself from the bed it was upon to dart to the other side of the room. _**"What do you want?"**_ The female asked in fear.

"Cynthia, it is me," Touya said, as he moved closer to where she was attempting to hide. "You remember me, don't you?"

Cynthia was quiet for a bit trying to place the face and everything. It had been a few years since she last saw the ice master. _**"I remember your face, I think. But I have not seen you in so long. It feels like an eternity."**_

"It's me, Touya," the demon went onwards to explain, as he inched a bit closer to her. He could tell that Cynthia was frightened. "I am here to help you. I am going to take you with me." He showed off a small, glass orb in his hand that he was going to use to keep Cynthia's soul safe. "Where is everyone else? Are there other spirits in this temple still?"

She shook her head sorrowfully while remaining behind the pillar in the center of her old bedroom. _**"A majority of them disappeared or were tormented. I could only hear it all from outside of my bedroom door at night."**_

"I am sorry to hear that," Touya sighed, hating to think of all the spirits that were probably dragged to Makai or worse. "But I came here to get you out. Maybe I can help find a way to set everything straight. I promise you I will."

Cynthia looked at the orb in Touya's hands. She was nervous about heading out of the temple with the demon. Admittedly, she found more comfort behind her bedroom door. _**"I guess…I worry what is awaiting me outside that door."**_

"I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." Touya stood before Cynthia, hoping to entice her into the sphere he currently held.

Elsewhere in the town, Jason grabbed up a nearby crowbar he found within the desolate Wind Knoll. "So he said the old Wind Temple was located near the mountains in the woods? This should prove interesting."

"I really don't know about this," said Carol, staying behind Jason who had the weapon for the time being. "We could get lost in those woods again if this fog keeps up. It is hard enough to make it through this town let alone a maze of trees."

"Well, I can go in there if you want me to. You guys don't have to come along as well." Jason was hoping that he could make her think otherwise, as he wanted Kirk and Carol to come with him.

"Are you kidding? I don't think I could trust you to make it out alone, Jason." Carol held onto his jacket tightly while following behind her friend. Looking about the fog covered town, she found less comfort in walking the streets knowing that anything could be anywhere. "I so badly want to leave this place. How did Justin even stand it here?"

"I can imagine it wasn't all like this," Kirk guessed as he twirled his pocketknife. It wasn't much of a weapon, but it was one all the same for him. "I guess it is wise to never piss off a demon."

Before Jason could agree, he stopped in his tracks when he began to hear warped sobbing. "Shhh," he demanded to the others, listening to the crying. "Sounds like someone is hurt." His eyes darted about the town before pointing behind them. "It's coming back that way."

"I don't know, Jay," Kirk said, looking in the direction as well. "Something doesn't seem right about all of this…"

Jason looked beyond the fog to find a figure heading in their direction. "What…is that…?"

From the darkness, the Demon Mother began to steadily rise from the streets. Her long hair covering her eyes, it peeled from the cracked pavement she was rising up out of. The sobbing obviously coming from her, she continued down the street. She could tell that there were humans nearby, causing her to scream a horrific, high-pitched scream. Getting on her hands and knees, she began to scurry towards them quickly with the shadows, which acted like strands of her hair, heading after Jason and the gang at a faster pace than she could go.

"Christ! Run!" Jason yelled, pushing Carol in front of him.

They ran as quickly as possible towards the woods at the end of Willard Drive. Kirk pointed towards them as he was trying his best to keep up. "Head for the forest! We can lose her in there!"

As soon as they ran past the outskirts of the woods, Jason stopped to look behind them to find that the demon chasing them had stopped. "Whoa-whoa-wait!" He demanded to the others, raising his hand to prevent them from continuing onwards. "Look…she-she stopped following us."

Carol stood behind the two boys regardless, watching as the Demon Mother stood there in the darkness staring at the woods they had disappeared within. "What is she doing? She looked intent to kill us and then stopped."

Kirk pulled himself away from the nearby tree he was peeking beyond to hurry deeper within the woods surrounding them. "I don't know about you two, but I am not going to stand here while she decides on what to do next."

The Demon Mother remained outside of the woods her victims had disappeared within. A part of her recognized the area. Her mind flashbacked to the times she spent within the forest when living with the wind demon. Slowly she made her way forwards to look about the area with intrigue. The Demon Mother backed up a bit before disappearing within the night that had engulfed Wind Knoll.

Jin's blooded sword dragged against the broken gravel beneath him, as he headed towards Scarlet's old house. Hearing the howls of the demon dogs, he paid them little mind upon finding the old sign that had remnants of the wording Lavender Lane on it. He turned up the road to find the old house Scarlet once lived in further up the sidewalk. Taking to the air, Jin made it to the window he destroyed years ago to make it to his wife. "Scarlet?" He called, as he stepped upon the stained carpet. His feet feeling the liquid beneath him, the redhead looked down to find himself standing in fresh blood. Making a displeased face, he moved from the window to look about the room.

He looked all over the space to find bloodstains everywhere. Keeping his sword out, Jin cautiously walked about the bedroom. "Scarlet, are you here?" He called again, as he made it to the restroom to look there. Looking over at the tub, he was shocked to see the collection that the demonic Scarlet had going on. Jin had seen and done worse in the past, but he couldn't deny it spooked him a bit. "That curse must have really done a number on her…"

The sound of something opening the door downstairs, Jin snapped his attention to the bedroom door. He hurried to the banister to look down the stairs to find what it was. Making it to the front of the stairway, Jin saw the demon dog at the foot of the steps sniffing around the house. The dog sniffed with its rotted nose over the shattered glass while moving it about with its flesh-covered paw. It could smell Jin nearby, causing him to look up at the redhead with a low growl.

"Easy," Jin said, outstretching his hand to get the dog to settle. "Easy, boy." He slowly made his way down the stairs to greet the dog with his hand. "I am like one of you." The dog sniffing his hand, he brought it back when the demon creature began to whimper like a submissive house pet. "Where is Scarlet?" Jin asked, as he pulled out a part of the old quilt she used to use whenever at the temple. "Can you find her?"

The dog smelled of the fabric he was being given. His right skeleton paw rested on Jin's forearm to try and get a better smell for it. The nose instantly going to the ground, he began to sniff for Scarlet's scent. Making it back out of the house, he made it down the driveway and across the street.

Jin knew instantly where he was heading. "She's going back to the Wind Temple." Taking to the air, he stayed close by the demon dog just to follow it and make sure that he was right in his assumption.

A majority of the upper floor was damaged when Jason and the others arrived at the Wind Temple. Most of the statues of the wind demon were either eroded away or demolished in some form. "This has to be the place where my brother is," said Jason to the others, as he slowly made his way up to the front doors.

"I don't know if it is wise to go in there," Carol pointed out, as she embraced herself to stay warm from the chill in the air. "We got attacked by one of the worshippers just going into the Ice Temple. I can only imagine what is going to get us in there."

"Would you rather stay out here where that demon woman could find you?" Jason wasn't about to stay in the woods any longer. He had a feeling that the Demon Mother was still trying to peruse them, and he wasn't about to test his theory. He pushed open the doors to allow a way for them inside. He knew he was closest to finding his brother, causing him to hurry through the main room and to the hallway to look for a map.

"Jason, what's wrong with you!" Carol hissed, as she hurried behind him into the hallway on the left of the main room. "We are supposed to wait for that Jin guy! And I would rather have a demon escort us around here than us do it by ourselves!"

"I've waited long enough." With that said, Jason grabbed the map from where it was located on the wall to hunt for his brother's room. Some of the names were smudged off, making it hard for him to find the right one. He couldn't even find Justin's name on the list. "Dammit, don't tell me his name is erased!"

Kirk was about to help look when he heard the doors open again. "Somebody is here." Pulling from the duo, he moved back to where the curtain once stood over the archway. He could only see that the front doors were cracked. There was nobody else in the area that he could plainly view. He was confused and a bit worried upon seeing nobody in sight. When the faint sobbing could be heard, he quickly turned and ran past Jason and Carol. "That thing is back! Run!"

Grabbing onto Carol's wrist, Jason tugged her after the frightened Kirk. They weren't sure where they were going, as they made many turns without looking at the map. However, they could hear the demon woman screaming and crying behind them. As they made another quick turn, they found themselves nearly being greeted by a fire blast to the face. Jason managed to pull Carol back just in time to avoid her getting her from the oncoming attack. Looking down the hall it came from, he saw a disgruntled male standing there in charred, off-white robes stained in bits of blood as well. He stood his ground angrily in return only to relax his face when he realized who it was. "Justin…!'

Justin's skin had decayed, making him appear zombie like. A majority of his veins, however, were burning red like magma underneath his skin. The brown hair was longer than Jason's and frazzled about his skull. Part of his skin had burned off on the left side of his face, causing part of his jawbone and teeth to be seen. The curse was so heavily on him, he didn't recognize his own brother. All he knew was the fire and wind designs burned and demanded that he attack whoever was there.

"Jason, come on! He won't listen to you!" Carol insisted, not wanting to be caught be either one of the monsters.

When Jason refused to move from where he was standing, Kirk grabbed his friend and pulled him from the spot to hurry to a nearby room they could hide within. He ignored Jason's demands to be put down, as he tossed him inside of the free room to shut and lock the door behind them. "Jason, you idiot!" Kirk growled angrily, as he kept the door shut with his weight. "Justin cannot hear you! He's damned, and all he knows to do is to kill you!"

"You didn't even give me a chance to talk through to him!" Jason yelled, wanting to be let back out to find his brother. "I know he has to be in there somewhere!"

"Jason!" Kirk was putting his foot down, not wanting Jason to befall the same fate as his twin brother.

"That's my brother!" Jason yelled as loud as possible, striking his index finger downwards angrily.

"Jason, stop it!" Carol finally demanded, stomping her foot down to get the two to shut up. "I can only imagine how powerless you feel right now, but Justin made his decision years ago! He has only himself to blame for where he is right now, and unless you too want to follow behind him, we best find a way out of here!"

Finding her way through the temple just fine, the Demon Mother came upon the old bedroom that Jin used on occasion. Moaning softly in dismay, she opened the door before allowing herself into the desolate room full of nothing but cobwebs and dust. She seemed to float upon the shadows, as she made her way into the room. Her white eyes peered through the long, black strands of her hair as she looked for anything that would remind her of what she and the demon had.

Spotting a chest off to the side of the room, she made her way over towards it to open it with her long strands of black hair, which almost always worked as extra limbs for her. Opening the chest, she looked inside to find a few personal items inside. One in particular caught her eye—it was a teddy bear of some kind stored away. Taking it into her dead hands, she felt the plush of it wondering what it was bought for. It was then and there, she remembered that she was pregnant before the curse fell the town. She remembered being so excited for it until her father took her back to their house where she was beaten badly. She placed her hand upon her stomach to feel nothing was there at all. She still had some weight on her from when the baby was removed from her. Dropping the bear within her hands, she brought her hands up to her head to release several warped cries of displeasure.

Standing at the opened door, Jin walked quietly towards the woman in front of him. "Scarlet…?" He asked curiously, reaching out for the demon at the chest he often kept a few personal items within. Jin stopped momentarily when he saw the woman snap around to look at him. "Scarlet, is that you…?"

Scarlet turned around slowly to look at the demon she recognized as being more powerful than she. The energy was intoxicating, and it frightened her. She backed up against the wall with a few cries of dismay. Her body was conflicting with itself over who he was—a part knowing and the rest unsure.

Jin gazed down at her ring finger, to find the wedding band he had given to her years ago. "Scarlet, it is you…!" He knelt down on the rust and blood stained ground beneath him with his hand out to the frightened demon. "Don't you remember me?" He witnessed as the demon woman moved her head from side to side slightly as if to find a way to escape. "It is me, Jin…your husband."

She hadn't spoken in years. Scarlet was beginning to forget how. Moving forwards, she made her way closer to the wind master. _**"J-i-n…?"**_ She asked with her warped voice.

Opening his hands, he allowed Scarlet's to place hers within his own. "Yes, it is me." He was relieved he found her but was also shocked to see what had become of her. Touching her black hair, Jin moved it away from her eyes to see how dead and lifeless they appeared, filmed over in white. "My God…" He lowered his head, feeling ashamed for what he had caused. "What have I done?" Hearing something coming through the hall to his room, Jin turned around to find Touya standing there with the orb in his hands. "Touya? How did things go?"

"I managed to save her," Touya answered, showing off the item in his possession. The orb looked as though it had some sort of fog within it. "But there are still more back there that are in eternal hell. I feel awful for the people I promised I would protect." Keeping the sphere in his hand, he stepped aside to allow the others through. "Also, I found these three hiding in your temple. They ran into me earlier, and they are looking for someone you might know of."

Jin's eyes widened instantly upon seeing Jason stepping into the bedroom. "Justin…?" He wondered, as he got to his feet slowly.

"That's my twin brother," Jason answered only to withdraw back into the hall for a moment upon seeing the Demon Mother there. "That thing is in here…!"

When the redhead realized that Scarlet was still intent to kill anything that was human, he grabbed onto her shoulders. "Stop, Scarlet! You don't need to harm them!" He witnessed as the woman was almost like a puppet to him. The demands he gave her went right through to her, and Scarlet would obey.

"Scarlet?" Carol asked, peeking out from behind Jason and Kirk. "That thing is the Demon Mother then…! That's the name she has been given from the people of this town. That's your wife, right?"

"She _**is**_ my wife," Jin sighed, as he got to his feet. "And her name is Scarlet Baker, not the Demon Mother." He found disgust in that title. "So what are you three doing in my temple let alone Wind Knoll? I can tell you're not from around here."

"I came here looking for my twin brother who worshipped under you, and is apparently damned for it." Jason was trying his best not to lose it. He knew that trying to attack a demon would be stupid. "I saw him in these temple walls, and I want this curse to be lifted, so I can take him back home with me!"

Jin managed a brief smile to Jason with a shake of his head. "I am sorry, but I cannot lift the curse. The curse was placed on the entire town under Shishi's command, and it is irreversible. I am afraid there is only one thing we can do for the town, and that is to get Koenma to pull all the souls to the Spirit World to be judged and given some sort of pardon." He swallowed hard with a heavy exhale in the dimly lit room. "Sadly, your brother won't return to this world in such a case. He'll be dead."

"How could you do this!" Jason yelled angrily, wanting to attack Jin only to be held back by Kirk. "My brother is in a constant state of hell right now! I have been several years without him at my side, and now I have to face the rest of my life without him! How could you do this to everyone!"

"Because I already lost everything!" Jin growled angrily, getting the human to settle. He wasn't about to be yelled at any longer for the crime he committed. "I lost my servants many years ago, and they meant the world to me. And when Scarlet came into my life, I became attached to her, and I was so happy to give her anything she wanted, even when she hated me. Then we got married on her birthday, and she got pregnant with my baby." He was trying his best to explain the situation in his defense, even if it was hard. "When I lost the baby, I couldn't bear to have Scarlet find out the truth, so I damned the town, and I walked away from everything that I held dear—your brother included."

Jason was unsure of what to say further involving the matter. He could understand Jin's pain, but the demon's own agony caused his to begin with. "What will you do then? What will even become of your wife?"

Jin looked at the mindless Scarlet who could only act on what her master told her. "I will find a way to reverse it." He focused his eyes back on Jason with a pitiful look within the seas of blue. "I will find a way to make her human again. Even if I myself have to stay here, I will talk to Koenma about giving these people a second chance, if that is your desire." Getting to his feet, he walked over to Jason. He ignored the fact that the other two would shy away from him instantly. "But, if it is revenge you're seeking for your brother, I can probably give it to you." Unsheathing his sword, he tossed it to Jason before kneeling down to expose his neck. "If you want to kill me now, you can. You can kill me for everything I have done. I know I deserve punishment for what I did here."

"Jin!" Touya exclaimed, wishing his friend would reconsider.

The offer was tempting to Jason. He looked down at the demon, who would refuse to fight back should he decide to kill Jin. The temptation disappeared, however, when he witnessed the demon woman crawl over to the redhead to hold him tightly with a few warped cries. Sighing heavily in defeat, he tossed the blade down in front of the wind master. "Killing you won't bring my brother back—no matter what his fate is in the end." Jason was still furious with the events, though he did his best to keep himself in check. "But you better promise me you'll do your part, demon. I want everyone here freed and returned to the physical or spiritual world in some way."

Jin pulled himself from the floor to take his weapon back. "It is the least I can do to repent for my sin." Walking past the three, he waved for them to follow. "Come, we must get you out of here and back home."

Touya took one last look at the room they were within before excusing himself as well out of the temple, hoping all of it could be reversed in some way.

* * *

"He came all this way, Koenma, to speak to you about it," Botan relayed within Spirit World several months later. "I didn't allow it at first, because he is a demon after all, but I know he is sincere in what he speaks about."

"While I am at times deaf to the goings on in Demon World, I could only make out so much when it comes to the Wind Knoll Town. It was borderline on both Makai and Human World, so I couldn't get much. I do know that Kurama and the others cursed the town, however." Koenma relaxed within his chair, folding his hands in front of him. "Having them live with such a thing would be punishment enough for their careless actions, but that would mean having all those others suffer, and I am afraid I cannot allow that." He nodded at Botan. "Let him in."

Botan hurried to the double doors in Koenma's room to allow Jin inside. "You can come in." She stepped aside to allow the redhead within the room, knowing Jin was desperate in this situation.

"Koenma, I need to talk to you about Wind Knoll and the curse that damned the town," Jin began with his palms upon the young ruler's desk soon enough.

"I know what it is you speak of, Jin," Koenma pointed out, trying his best to hide the fact he was nervous over a demon standing a few inches from him. He never knew Jin too well, and him as well as the others, often made the ruler nervous. Kurama and Hiei were the only ones he was used to. "I also know what you brought with you."

Jin acted shocked at first, but he had to admit it was the only thing that was on his mind at that moment. "I want her to go back to the way she was. I want it so badly," he confessed. He had brought Scarlet with him, but she was locked away outside the door. "Because of the curse, she only listens to what I tell her. She's like a mindless zombie."

"Because that's basically what she is," Koenma said, as he hopped out of his chair and headed towards the door, so he could see this Scarlet. "When you all cursed the town, you sent them under into Makai. The entire town rests there now. So their bodies changed and adapted to their new placement—those that were baptized anyways." Looking at the cage outside in the hallway, Koenma was a bit taken back by the way Scarlet looked. "Oh my…well…I cannot say I can make her completely herself, but I can try." Getting close enough to the cage, Koenma held out his hands to try and reverse the process on the woman.

Jin watched over the ruler's shoulders as Scarlet's hair began to go blond once more with black streaks here and there. Her skin transforming back to the natural pink tone it used to be except for the left side of her. When Koenma stopped his reversing process, Scarlet had swirling black marks on the left side of her body. It was like a small portion of darkness still had her physically. "Scarlet…?" Jin wondered, as he stepped closer to the cage he had to confide her within or else she'd go crazy. "Are you alright?"

Scarlet touched her face before cupping her forehead within her hand. "What happened…? I feel so dizzy…"

Hurrying to her, Jin let her out of where he had her confined. He hugged her tightly, burying his nose upon the top of her head while stroking her long, bi-colored, mess of hair. "It's alright," he whispered to her. "It was just a nightmare. It is all over now."

Closing her eyes, Scarlet rested upon the wind master to try and sleep off the exhaustion she currently felt.

"You would be wisest to keep her in Makai with you now," Koenma instructed. "I am afraid she will bear that mark upon her body to remind her of what Wind Knoll once was. I cannot reverse it, even with my powers." Getting to his feet, Koenma headed down the hallway past them. "I will return shortly. I have to make sure I bring this mess to a close."

**(XX)**

When Koenma managed to pull all of the spirits out of Wind Knoll and send them to Spirit World to their respectful places as well as heal those that were damned, Touya find himself returning to the Spirit World gates with the glass orb in his hands. Out amongst the many paths in the heavenly world, he smashed the sphere upon the ground to release Cynthia from where she was confined for her safety.

The woman opened her eyes to find herself in her younger, spirit form standing before the ice master she once worshipped. "Where-Where am I now?" She asked, placing her hand upon her cheek.

"You're in Spirit World," Touya answered with a smile. "The one place you rightfully belong. Here you will be able to live your life in a better condition than I could ever offer you." He looked away from Cynthia momentarily, feeling ashamed for his selfishness as well. "I am sorry that I kept you in Makai. That wasn't right of me to do, even to someone I wanted to keep close to myself."

Cynthia managed a smile as well at Touya's words to her. "I know why you did, however," she whispered between them. "And I find it sweet you'd go through such lengths just to keep me nearby, but I really hope you understand—." She placed her hand upon Touya's shoulder with her other hand upon her chest. "—I love Tray, and I always will. I just couldn't offer myself that kind of heartache when it came to you and me."

"Those words still sting as they always have," Touya admitted with a fake chuckle. "But I do understand what you're saying, and I wish you luck in the afterlife with him. I will no longer be able to reach you from this moment onwards."

"Don't be so sure," Botan chimed in from behind the ice demon. She walked the spirit road with her ore in hand. "I am sure every December around her birthday, it will be possible for you two to see one another again. I know Koenma has rules, but he isn't heartless."

"I like that," Cynthia said before sparing Touya a kiss on the cheek. "Tell my daughter I love her and that I will miss her. I have no doubt she'll be well watched over considering where she is now." She turned around to continue her journey. "Goodbye, Touya. I will see you later within the year."

Touya waved goodbye to Cynthia before waiting for her to disappear. "Goodbye, and I love you." He found the weight lifted off of his shoulders, however, with his priestess in a better place in the afterlife. Smiling once more to himself, he walked past Botan to head to Makai where he belonged.

Scarlet looked out the window of the apartment building Jin was living in within Makai. She touched the black markings on the left side of her body. "This is going to take some getting used to, isn't it?" Turning to Jin, she accepted his hands once more. "After living in that hell for so many years, I am free of it…sort of."

Jin cupped her chin within his hand. "I just hope that within time, you can come to forgive the selfish things I have done and learn to trust me again. I went back on your word and damned everyone because of my pain." He held Scarlet close to his body, resting his cheek upon her scalp. "I protected you throughout your time in Wind Knoll, and here will be no different." Looking within her gray-green eyes, he kissed her tenderly once more. "I love you, and, no matter your form, that won't change."

Scarlet smiled upon his words to her. "I will always love you too, no matter the choices you make." Closing her eyes, she rested upon the wind master's chest, feeling as though her years in torment were nothing but a bad nightmare indeed.

**THE END**


	46. Endnotes

God, I didn't think I'd ever get this story done. XD; But, well, here it is finally. The reason it probably took as long as it did was because I got addicted into World of Warcraft. I am such a junkie for that game. This probably has to be the longest story I have ever written, but I am a stickler for details.

As I stated in the very beginning, Wind Knoll's Curse came about because I was in a very big Silent Hill mood one fourth of July. The thought hit me while my big sister was snoring away in our attic at the old lake house we used to own. X3x I couldn't sleep, so my mind wandered.

While working on this story, I had thought about transforming it into a novel one of these days with characters rearranged. We'll see if that ever occurs. Whether it does or not isn't a concern, but I do hope that the storyline is never ripped from me. DX

Involving the character Scarlet Baker, the scars on her arms are actually inspired from a friend I used to know years ago in high school online. She was a sweet friend and a beautiful girl. When I saw photos of her, I told her that the elbow length gloves were awesome on her, and she admitted that she wore those a lot, because she burned and cut her arms so much that they were scarred all over. I thought it was interesting even if morbid, and, years later, I put it on my character.

Carol, Rachael, and Jason are all people I know in real life currently or from my past. Last names are not the same, however, and neither are the appearances of the characters.

There were a few minor things that were changed when I planned it all out:

-I was going to go into a more detailed look involving Silvia and Blossom, seeing as they were the main chicks that Scarlet worked with back at the beginning of the story. However, the storyline moved around them in a way I didn't find it necessary anymore.

-The night Silvia finally made contact with Shishi, she was supposed to be spoken to about her ways and to have them change. Shishi was also supposed to help her change in identity, but I forgot to bother with it the more I continued writing.

-Scarlet was never supposed to leave her house. She was supposed to live there and have Jin visit her often on occasions. However, I found that Chris would probably sooner kill her than allow such a thing if he ever found out.

- I always knew from the beginning that Jin was going to curse Wind Knoll. I just had to find a way to do it. At first, I was going to have him be jealous over another love interest in Scarlet's life, and that love interest was going to be Donovan, but I nuked the idea, because I know Scarlet wasn't that selfish. I still remember an idea I had of when he goes to talk to Scarlet about it in her bedroom one night and threatens her with the possibility of Wind Knoll going under with his feelings for her. (This is why I should write snippets more often, so I can post these things when an idea changes.)

-There was supposed to be more chapters involving the curse that befell Wind Knoll and how it affected Scarlet. But, jeez, haha, I just wanted the thing to be wrapped up.

-At the end, Scarlet was supposed to remain as she was. Jin was going to keep her within the boundaries of Wind Knoll regardless of what a female demon, who had a thing for Jin, says about it; though he would feed her what she desired to eat, and that would be humans. When the female demon was going to kill Scarlet out of a jealous rage regarding that Jin would still love such a creature, Scarlet would manage to kill her first. This ending was set in stone for a long time, but I went against it in the end.

-Jason, Carol, and Kirk were brought in on a whim. I needed somebody to walk around Wind Knoll without understanding the history of it and to witness what happened during the day and night.

-Scarlet was supposed to have the teddy bear a good bit before she was damned. Thus, when she was cursed, she was going to carry it around with her as a reminder of the child she lost.

There are hints I dropped in my DeviantArt gallery about a sequel to Wind Knoll's Curse, but when or if I will get to it, I really don't know. That depends on a lot of things.

Thanks to those of you who stayed with it. I appreciate it. =) If I have a minor hold on fanfics for awhile it is because I want to pursue trying to get my novel ideas out into circulation. I feel I have written to the fandom world long enough, and it is time to mess with my own ideas for a change.

That doesn't mean I'll stop fanfics completely. I am sure I'll have more ideas coming soon, but not right now. XD I think I need a vacation. I was working my ass off to get this finished because I for 1) felt it was out long enough, 2) wanted it off of my list for novel work, 3) need time to job hunt now, 4) World of Warcraft expansion is coming out in December, so I needed it done. XP

Thanks again, guys, for every review. Even if I don't ever contact you all directly, I appreciate what you each have to say. :)

~Oreana


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